"Not enough effort." The undefeated Kazakh fighter "denied" Ankalaev a title shot in the UFC.

Kazakhstan's UFC light heavyweight fighter Diyar Nurgozhay (10-0) shared his thoughts on the matchup between top contenders in his division: Russian Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-0-1) and Serbian Aleksandar Rakić (14-5). In an interview with Vesti.kz, he expressed doubts about Ankalaev receiving a title shot, even with a victory in this fight.

https://vesti.kz/ufc/ne-dorabotal-nepobejdennyiy-kazah-lishil-ankalaeva-titulnogo-353364/2024-10-27 09:49:29

The Kazakh light heavyweight fighter (10-0) shared his thoughts on the matchup between the top competitors in his division - the Russian fighter (19-1-0-1) and the Serbian fighter (14-5). In an interview with a correspondent, he expressed doubts about Magomed Ankalaev receiving a title shot even after this victory.

UFC Diyar Nurgozhay Magomed Ankalaev Alexander Rakic Vesti.kz

In the main card of the tournament, Ankalaev won against Rakic by unanimous decision. He extended his unbeaten streak to 12 fights (11 wins and one draw). After the fight, the Dagestani fighter called for a championship bout against the titleholder from Brazil - (12-2).

UFC 308 Alex Pereira

"I watched this fight closely and noticed a similar moment to what I experienced in my own fight. Rakic was a bit taller and physically bigger, which made it challenging for Ankalaev to work with his lead hand; he relied on his rear hand and landed well with it. The same goes for his left hand. In the fight itself, Ankalaev won and did what he could, but for a championship match, he didn't quite deliver. I think they will still hold him back; the title won't be given to him just yet.

I watched the entire fight attentively. Rakic is a good opponent, physically strong and impressive. However, Ankalaev landed a couple of shots to his body with his rear hand, and Rakic started to breathe heavily. There was such a moment. Ankalaev is certainly a good fighter: he thinks well, breathes well, and has good conditioning. A fight with Pereira would be very exciting. I think they would even exchange blows standing up. But regarding the championship fight, I reiterate, I don't know if it will be given to Ankalaev. That remains a big question.

Overall, all the top fighters in my division have already faced each other. I think there will definitely be some adjustments now," Nurgozhay noted.

It’s worth mentioning that Diyar joined the UFC earlier this month after a spectacular victory at the Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) . Currently, he is one of six representatives from Kazakhstan in the world's top league.

An extensive exclusive interview with Nurgozhay was released earlier on our YouTube channel. You can watch it here.