UFC analyst claims Magomed Ankalaev is ‘hurting the UFC’ just days ahead of UFC 320 title fight

Din Thomas’s recent claims that the UFC should trade Magomed Ankalaev for PFL star Dakota Ditcheva were doubled down by another top analyst.

UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev will face Alex Pereira for the second time this Saturday in the UFC 320 main event. Ankalaev defeated Pereira in their first fight at UFC 313 by decision, ending Pereira’s history-making light heavyweight title reign.

Ankalaev, who enters UFC 320 on a 14-fight unbeaten streak, hasn’t developed nearly the fan following that Pereira has during their MMA careers. Ankalaev prefers to do most of his talking inside the Octagon, where he’s earned dominant wins against the likes of Johnny Walker, Aleksandar Rakic, and Thiago Santos.

UFC analyst Din Thomas made headlines earlier this year when he claimed that the promotion should initiate its second-ever trade for PFL star Dakota Ditcheva, in exchange for Ankalaev. Ditcheva is regarded as the best female fighter outside of the UFC and would add a much-needed boost to the UFC flyweight division.

Brendan Schaub: UFC needs Alex Pereira to dethrone Magomed Ankalaev

Ahead of UFC 320, one fellow analyst not only agrees with Thomas’s claims but also believes Ankalaev’s winning at UFC 320 would be catastrophic for business.

During a recent episode of The Schaub Show, Brendan Schaub doubled down on the UFC potentially trading for PFL superstar Dakota Ditcheva in exchange for their current light heavyweight titleholder.

“The UFC business model now would make more money from Dakota [Ditcheva] than with Magomed,” Schaub claimed.

“A matter of fact, Magomed is actually hurting the UFC, it’s f—– up to say because if he goes out and beats Alex, who’s a much bigger star than him, it actually hurts the UFC.

“A pretty girl who is very talented, we can get more money out of than this guy from Dagestan, who’s a beast but isn’t good on the mic, his s— talking is a little dicey, and he’s also so good that the stars you want to be the face of the UFC, he beats. That’s an issue.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

Tensions have ramped up between Ankalaev and Pereira ahead of UFC 320, including a heated altercation at the UFC Performance Institute. The fight is one of the most highly anticipated showdowns in UFC light heavyweight history.