23:43, 12 December 2022

Kadyrov demands apologies from referees of UFC fight

Jan Błachowicz (on the left) and Magomed Ankalaev after the fight. Screenshot of the video posted on the UFC Russia Telegram channel https://t.me/UFCRussia/5589

The draw awarded in the fight of Dagestani fighter, Magomed Ankalaev, with the Pole Jan Błachowicz in the final of the UFC-282 tournament was the result of unfair refereeing, the head of Chechnya has stated, demanding from the head of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) to apologize and announce Ankalaev as the league champion.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in December 2021, Magomed Ankalaev became one of the athletes who received a Mercedes car as a gift from Ramzan Kadyrov.

Magomed Ankalaev, a fighter from Makhachkala, performs for the "Akhmat" Club from Grozny. On March 1, 2020, at the UFC tournament in the USA, he knocked out his opponent in less than a minute after the start of the fight. The fans expressed dissatisfaction with the referee's decision to stop the fight, and Ankalaev, taking it personally, showed them the middle finger. An obscene gesture towards the fans is a rare phenomenon for sports and is considered a bad manner, but the athlete is unlikely to face disqualification, journalists have pointed out.

Kadyrov has posted his appeal to the head of the UFC, Dana White, in his Telegram channel. He demanded from the UFC boss "to save the face of the league" and "his own face." "Admit the mistake and give the (champion's) belt to the real winner and apologize for this performance," Ramzan Kadyrov has urged.

The reason for Kadyrov's indignation was the result of the fight, in which a draw was awarded, and Magomed Ankalaev failed to get the vacant UFC title.

Shamil Alibatyrov, Ankalaev's coach, has questioned the referees' impartiality, the "Sport-Express" has written.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 11, 2022 at 07:57 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot