Daniel Cormier hits back at skeptics of Magomed Ankalaev’s UFC 320 injury

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier says Magomed Ankalaev was encouraged not to fight at UFC 320 after suffering a rib injury weeks before the event.

Magomed Ankalaev’s UFC light heavyweight title reign came to a screeching halt at the hands of Alex Pereira last weekend at UFC 320. Pereira knocked out Ankalaev in their rematch to reclaim the light heavyweight throne, handing Ankalaev his first defeat since his promotional debut in 2018.

Hours after UFC 320, Ankalaev’s manager revealed that the now-former UFC light heavyweight champion entered the rematch with a rib injury. A clip of Ankalaev getting injections weeks before UFC 320 then went viral on social media.

Many fans questioned Ankalaev and his team, accusing the star of making a convenient excuse for the loss. But Daniel Cormier assures fans that Ankalaev’s injury is not only legit, but severe enough that his team encouraged him to withdraw from UFC 320.

Daniel Cormier assures skeptics that Magomed Ankalaev was compromised at UFC 320

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier weighed in on Ankalaev’s post-fight revelation and the sincerity of it.

“Magomed Ankalaev did have a rib injury, this is not a lie, and this is not an excuse,” Cormier said of Ankalaev.

“I know this because prior to the fight, I saw video of him getting injections into his rib to try to help him get to the fight. He was able to hit pads, and do cardio, essentially, for a month and a half before the fight. With that being said, I don’t know if the result changes if he was healthy, because of the way Pereira fought him.

“I know some people who are really close to [Magomed] who told him not to fight, but he wanted to fight. He wanted to beat Pereira again because he understood how important it was for him to have two wins over Alex, and a stronger statement for why he is who he is. He wasn’t 100 percent, but I don’t know if he would’ve been at 120 percent if he’d beaten Pereira that night.”

In addition to Ankalaev’s revelation, Pereira revealed that he suffered a potential foot injury mid-fight at UFC 320. It’s uncertain how long the two-time UFC light heavyweight titleholder will be sidelined to recover.