{"id":152665,"date":"2022-12-09T09:16:08","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T09:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/magomed-ankalaev-nearly-retired-after-paul-craig-loss-you-can-say-i-had-the-worst-loss-in-ufc\/"},"modified":"2022-12-09T09:16:08","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T09:16:08","slug":"magomed-ankalaev-nearly-retired-after-paul-craig-loss-you-can-say-i-had-the-worst-loss-in-ufc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/magomed-ankalaev-nearly-retired-after-paul-craig-loss-you-can-say-i-had-the-worst-loss-in-ufc\/","title":{"rendered":"Magomed Ankalaev nearly retired after Paul Craig loss: ‘You can say I had the worst loss in UFC’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Magomed Ankalaev got off on the wrong foot when joining Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in March 2018.<\/p>\n

The No. 4-ranked Light Heavyweight contender dominated his opponent, Paul Craig, from pillar to post in a stellar overall debut. It appeared to be the emergence of a terrifying new prospect. Craig, however, had other plans, needing only a handful of seconds, locking in a Hail Mary triangle choke submission at the end of the fight. Ankalaev tapped with one second left before he would have achieved a clear-cut decision victory.<\/p>\n

Ankalaev, 30, is set to compete in his first UFC title fight this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) in the UFC 282 main event against former champion, Jan Blachowicz. Riding a nine-fight win streak, fans nearly saw the end of Ankalaev before his UFC run even got started.<\/p>\n

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LIVE! Watch UFC 282 PPV On ESPN+ Here!<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n

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YEAR-END PPV BLOWOUT!<\/strong> <\/strong>Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) closes out its final pay-per-view (PPV) of the year on Sat., Dec. 10, 2022, with a battle for the vacant Light Heavyweight crown between former champion and No. 2-ranked container, Jan Blachowicz<\/strong>, looking to stop the momentum of No. 3-seeded Magomed Ankalaev<\/strong>. In the co-main event of UFC 282, which will take place inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, breakout star, Paddy Pimblett<\/strong>intends to keep his momentum going at the expense of gritty veteran, Jared Gordon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDon’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThat loss changed my life,\u201d Ankalaev told UFC Russia. \u201cIt was hard for me at first. I didn’t come out in public for a month. My mother lives in Khasavyurt with my brother, I spent a month there. I thought I wouldn’t fight anymore. Then within that month, I realized that it wasn’t because of me. I did everything I could, it was the will of the almighty. It was a relief. I started to understand the situation then I went back to training. I came in the gym and put in work. I left it all in the gym and got my results.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you’re undefeated, you always worry about the zero,\u201d he continued. \u201cI’m over that now. I know what it’s like to lose, what it’s like to win. I know how bitter it is to lose. With that knowledge, I give my all in the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ankalaev (18-1) has battled through little resistance since his lone setback in the Octagon. Like many of his fellow talented Dagestani fighters, dealing with the pressure of an unbeaten record can be a big mental hurdle to overcome. Ankalev managed to turn his negative into a positive and it’s led him to a chance at becoming Russia’s first 205-pound UFC champion.<\/p>\n