You wouldn’t find Magomed Ankalaev engaging in trash talk often before a fight. Even when he faced Thiago Santos in 2022—one of the division’s most dangerous knockout artists—Ankalaev barely acknowledged the Brazilian’s warning about the power he was bringing into the cage. When fight night came, he absorbed Santos’ best shots, weathered the storm, and methodically broke him down over five rounds to secure the win. This is how Ankalaev has usually operated in his UFC career, but his upcoming bout against Alex Pereira has unleashed a rare, different side of the Russian. In January, Ankalaev referenced Pereira’s past struggle with alcoholism in a tweet and said that he just signed his “death certificate.” Well, it looks like the usually shy and reserved fighter isn’t done taking jibes at his opponent.

The crowd at the UFC 313 pre-fight press conference on Thursday erupted with chants of ‘Chama’ as Alex Pereira stepped on the stage. However, Ankalaev, the fighter that the world has been asking for Pereira to prove himself against for so long, received nothing but boos. Despite being on a long unbeaten streak, aside from the draw against Jan Błachowicz, Ankalaev had to wait longer than expected for his title opportunity. UFC it seemed, was eager to capitalize on Pereira’s reign, and some injuries to the ‘Poatan’ also didn’t help. This prolonged timeline according to Ankalaev has contributed to his change in attitude, leading to trash-talking from his end. At the presser, the Dagestani continued this mean streak by mocking Pereira’s past.

During the pre-fight press conference for UFC 313, a reporter asked Ankalaev, “If you absolutely dominate Alex in this fight, do you think you’ll send him back working in the tire shop.” This prompted a stern reaction from the Brazilian, who stared down at the reporter. Pereira sat forward with his fists clenched, but Ankalaev didn’t hold back while answering the question.

“We’re planning on absolutely dominate him on Saturday. We’re gonna make sure that Chama has no chances on Saturday. Whether or not he stays in the sport and decides to go back to the tire shop, that’s gonna be up to him. He’s gonna be the one that has to make that decision.” 

The question and his opponent’s response would have likely struck a nerve with Pereira, due to the hardships he faced on his rise to the top of the UFC, including working in a tire shop. Growing up in a working-class family, he left school at the young age of 12 and got a job at a local tire shop in Brazil. He would have to take a 40-minute walk to work to earn 68p a day. =

This story was highlighted when he joined the UFC in 2021, fans discovered a Google Maps shot of Pereira working at the tire shop. However, Pereira looks back at those days with great reverence and how it paved the way for his career in fighting down the line. The rigors of mounting, balancing, and repairing tires taught him the value of discipline and hard work. “I owe the tire shop a lot,” he mentioned in an interview.

However, the influence of those with whom he worked let him down on a path of alcoholism. However, his life would change when he stepped into a kickboxing gym. He went pro in 2013 and was a Glory champion by 2017. Five years later, he won his first UFC title and perhaps now faces his most strenuous test to date.

This wasn’t the only time Ankalaev got personal with Pereira.

After the fight was announced during UFC 311, Periera tweeted “See you soon Ankalaev,” who responded with a fiery message. “You just sign your death certificate I’m gonna punish you for ducking me and I’m gonna make you look like a guy work in a tire shop not professional Fighter,” he wrote and moments later he took another shot at Periera’s past.

Ankalaev is fresh off a win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 last October. The No. 1 contender has not lost a bout since March 2018, a run of 13 fights which includes a draw and a no-contest. Pereira, on the other hand, successfully defended his title against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 305 in October and is on a five-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, the hostile reaction from fans at Mandalay Bay two days out from the fight didn’t faze Ankalaev, who boldly claimed, “Everyone is saying ‘Chama! Chama! Chama!’ But guess what? Chama time is over! After this Saturday night, after the fight, you will all love me!”

Well, even though Pereira is a black belt in BJJ, the world tends to believe that he lacks elite wrestling skills. In comparison, Ankalaev is known to be a balanced fighter with wrestling in his arsenal. It’s worth noting that neither of the fighters has a win via submission. On top of that, being a Muslim, Ankalaev is currently fasting as the holy period of Ramadan casts its light on him.

So how exactly does the Russian train? Is there something in Ankalaev’s training regime that’s capable of overcoming Pereira? Let’s find out!

Magomed Ankalaev reveals his training secrets during Ramadan made Alex Pereira nervous

The holy month of Ramadan requires fasting from dawn till dusk. And Ankalaev seemed to know that he’d have to make some big sacrifices since the date for UFC 313 falls one week into Ramadan. But Ankalaev was all ready to tackle the problems. While Pereria claimed that the Russian was preparing to bring in the holy month as an excuse for his possible loss, Ankalaev was getting ready for victory. How? Well, he had to change only one thing. 

During the UFC 313 media day, Ankalaev said, “The only thing that we had to change is because the week of the fight is Ramadan, what I had to do was I had to break a couple of fasting sessions because I have to drink a lot of water in order for me to be able to make the weight. Other than that, everything is the same.”

And that probably made the light heavyweight champion a bit jittery, at least according to his opponent. Ankalaev continued, “He’s obviously really worried about me and what I’m doing. He seems to be nervous. He’s following all these things. Like what can I say? I’ll tell you again. I had to break the fast a couple of times because there’s something I need to do in order to make the weight and in order to be prepared. He seems to be way too concerned with that.”

Nevertheless, with things running smoothly till now, we can certainly expect a war between the light heavyweights on 8 March 2025. There’s a lot at stake for Ankalaev. If he wins, he’d get to sit on the LHW throne and become the first fighter to have defeated Pereira at the 205-pound realm. And if ‘Poatan’ wins, he might get to the top of the P4P rankings. And all that we have to do is wait and watch the story unfold. 

Do you think Ankalaev can actually secure a win against Pereira with the changes in his fasting sessions? Or will the fan-favorite champion emerge victorious with another KO victory under his belt?