"So Alex was right" - Fans react as Magomed Ankalaev discloses that he is following Ramadan fast "strictly" barring a few times this week

Fans reacted to Magomed Ankalaev revealing he's partially broken Ramadan guidelines to prepare for his upcoming fight.

Later this week, Ankalaev has an opportunity to dethrone Alex Pereira of his light heavyweight world title in the UFC 313 main event.

The Russian title challenger is finishing his preparations during Ramadan, a month-long tradition where Muslims must abstain from food and beverages from dawn to dusk.

Pereira recently did an interview with Ag Fight and accused Ankalaev of falsely claiming he's been fasting during Ramadan:

"I think he's using [Ramadan] as an excuse... Today I went to get my lunch boxes, the UFC lunch boxes, and there were two bags with several lunch boxes with his name on them all with a set time. He's not doing that [fasting]. He's deceiving people and telling them so he can have an excuse later."

Ankalaev responded during his own interview with Ag Fight:

"Yes, I have been following the fast strictly, except for this week, where I will have to break it a few times. Because I need to make sure I drink water to have a successful weight cut. But apart from that, I started with Ramadan, I have been fasting. And after the fight, I will obviously also follow the rules of religion, as it has to be."

Check out Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira's comments to Ag Fight below (via MMA Orbit on X):

Ankalaev's response drew the reaction from the fans in the comments section. They wrote:

"So Alex was right"

"Lmao so this whole first fighter challenging for a title during Ramadan is a facade because he’s not even following it properly."

"So he has confirmed he is not sticking within the rules of Ramadan as much as possible."

"So he’s not actually following the rules"

Check out the collage of fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

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Magomed Ankalaev looks to hand Alex Pereira first loss in UFC light heavyweight division

Alex Pereira moved up to the light heavyweight division following his title-losing knockout defeat against Israel Adesanya in April 2023.

Since then, 'Poatan' has secured wins against Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka (twice), Jamahal Hill, and Khalil Rountree Jr.

At UFC 313, Magomed Ankalaev plans to become the new light heavyweight champion by taking out Pereira. The world-class fighters have established a fiery rivalry over the last year.

Ankalaev solidified his opportunity to fight Pereira with a unanimous decision win against Aleksandar Rakic in October 2024.

Check out the UFC 313 Countdown video below: