“He leaked the fight – there’s no other way to call it,” Ankalaev told reporters two days after the UFC 294 event in Abu Dhabi. “Of course, I thought he would stand up – there was nothing like that there, he didn’t even blink an eye. But when a man doesn’t want to fight, there’s nothing you can do. Then I found out – he told the doctor he was in the desert.”
“If he agrees, I’d like a rematch to bring closure and move on. He merged from the fight and then stood in the cage, barking like a tethered dog – he knew they wouldn’t let him fight. If he wanted to fight me, he would have done it, but he was just playing to the public. I’m waiting for news about the rematch. I think negotiations are underway now, but whether this clown will agree, I don’t know”
After missing a banned knee to the head in the fourth minute of the first round, the Brazilian claimed to be in the desert when asked about his whereabouts and was taken out of the fight. After the referee signaled a stoppage, Walker attempted to continue the fight with Ankalaev, which resulted in security personnel and UFC head Dana White having to enter the cage.