“Ankalaev absolutely deserved the title fight, and I think he will win it again,” Gadzhiev said in an interview published on his Youtube channel. “I could say that one hundred percent, but there are nuances. The fact is that on paper, in terms of skills, Ankalaev is better than Blachowicz in everything. Blachowicz is a good wrestler, but he will not surprise Ankalaev. I don’t know exactly how old Blachowicz is, but it seems that he is already on the decline, and Maga, on the contrary, is on the rise.
“Neither in striking, nor in wrestling, Blachowicz will not surprise, but there is a nuance – psychology. Blachowicz, it seems to me, does not care – he will come out, fight, it has already happened to him. Win – kayfanet. If he doesn’t win, that’s okay. I think he’s even more interested in a check in this fight. For Ankalaev, this is a crazy chance, this is a legacy, and I can imagine the psychological pressure he is under now.”
“‘Let’s! Take away! You should! You’re the favorite!’ Everyone is telling him this now. And then the question arises – what kind of guy is he? This gives him confidence, and he will come out calmly and deal with Blachowicz, or is he on fire? And I think it’s more the latter. But if he manages his emotions, Maga will definitely win. If there is a problem with this, then he may lose this fight.
“And so, whether he deserved it or not, he definitely deserved it. Favorite or not – yes, favorite. And I think that the bookmakers will certainly make him a favorite, therefore, you can’t earn a lot of money on the Magician ”
Recall that the UFC light heavyweight title became vacant due to the fact that the current champion of the division, Jiri Prochazka, who was supposed to head the numbered event, received a serious shoulder injury and decided to vacate the belt.