Magomed Ankalaev opens up on Alex Pereira defeat: "The worst day of my life"

After months without fighting following a knockout loss to Alex Pereira, Magomed Ankalaev is ready to get back into the Octagon. Although the time away hasn't been easy for "Big Ank", the experience helped him become a better fighter. The Russian has revealed losing the title to "Poatan" was the worst day of his life, but it also made him stronger. Now, with his confidence restored, the former champion will face Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi Saturday.

Magomed Ankalaev Reflects on Painful Loss

The loss to Pereira came in Ankalaev's first title defense, in an immediate rematch after he won the belt against the Brazilian. It may not come as a surprise that Big Ank was deeply affected by the setback, considering he was knocked out just 80 seconds into the opening round. Speaking to MMA Fighting, the Russian light heavyweight admitted he had a hard time getting motivated again.

"It must have been the worst day of my life, I could say," Ankalaev began. "I lost the fight, I lost the belt, and it was really hard for me to get back here. But the time has been taken, the work's been done, and I'm back a different person. I think what people will see this time around is a whole different fighter."

Magomed Ankalaev Turned Defeat into Motivation

Despite struggling for about a month after the defeat, when he even avoided going to the gym, Ankalaev eventually got back to training. According to the Russian, that loss made him stronger and now he believes he is the best version of himself.

"It didn't take too long," Ankalaev revealed. "It must have been about a month that I was down on myself, kind of, and I couldn't get myself to go back to the gym and stuff like that. But then I got myself together and I got back into the gym, and I think I'm in the best shape that I've been, ever. The best shape of my life."

Ankalaev also compared the defeat to the loss he suffered against Paul Craig early in his UFC career, believing setbacks have helped him evolve as a fighter. On that occasion, Big Ank went on an incredible run, remaining undefeated for 14 fights. Now, he is confident he can achieve that same outcome.

"It definitely was the right time for me to get that loss," Ankalaev admitted. "As you remember, my first loss in the UFC was also a very terrible, kind of underprepared sort of loss and I came back and I was dominant for such a long time. So I think we're going to see this again. I needed that loss to bring me back down and then to start moving my way back up."

Since losing the light heavyweight title to Pereira, the division has seen some changes. After that fight, Poatan vacated the title to move up to heavyweight, while Carlos Ulberg defeated Jiří Procházka to claim the vacant belt. Currently ranked No. 1 in the division, Ankalaev returns to the Octagon this Saturday focused on working his way back into title contention.