"That was the most difficult age for me" - Magomed Ankalaev opens up about tragic loss of his father and stepping up as the man of the family

By Jake Foley

Modified Mar 01, 2025 19:25 GMT

Magomed Ankalaev talked about the "most difficult" age he endured due to his father passing away.

On March 8, Ankalaev has an opportunity to become the UFC light heavyweight world champion when he challenges Alex Pereira in the UFC 313 main event.

The 'UFC 313 Countdown' promotional footage was recently posted on the UFC's YouTube channel, showcasing behind-the-scenes footage of Ankalaev and Pereira.

During one of the interviews, Magomed Ankalaev opened up about having to work harder at a younger age after his father passed away:

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

"I was born in the Shamilsky District, in the village of Teletl', high in the mountains of Dagestan. I was in the ninth or tenth grade and I lost my father. That was the most difficult age for me, when you really need a father's support. Since the man is the eldest in the family, it turned out that I was the man. And I had to work much harder for my family, to support them."

Ankalaev followed up by explaining how he started training in martial arts:

"Around 2011-2012, I started training in martial arts, like combat sambo. After that, something opened up. The Russian Union of Mixed Martial Arts appeared. And from that moment on, I switched to mixed martial arts and I started succeeding."

Ankalaev has been on a phenomenal run in the UFC, establishing an unbeaten streak of 13 fights, including 11 wins. He solidified his upcoming light heavyweight title shot with a unanimous decision win against Aleksandar Rakic in October 2024.

Watch Magomed Ankalaev open up about the passing of his father below:

Expand Tweet