A mediocre drug addict beat Ankalaev. The UFC appreciates upstarts
Sergey Sorokin August 30, 2024, 20:00 Moscow time
Khalil Rowntree stormed into the championship race, overtaking the Russian.
The fate of Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC worries many Russian mixed martial arts fans. He has long since earned his second title shot with successful performances, but he is still forced to hold on and fight against acceptable opponents, which is undoubtedly starting to worry our compatriot. And now Alex Pereira will fight Khalil Rountree, which caused great surprise among many mixed martial arts fans. And the Russian will take part in the contenders fight. Every day, the impartiality of Khalil’s title chances raises more and more questions.
Magomed is “strangled” abroad, but at home he can make a fortune:
“The UFC doesn’t need Ankalaev.” They’re playing Magomed in the US: it’s time to go to Russia
It is worth noting that Rowntree received a title shot unexpectedly. And all because he is ranked only 8th in the light heavyweight rankings. Most often, these guys have to go through a few more fights before they fight for the belt. But Khalil overcame all this without any problems. The reason for this is Rowntree’s brilliant behavior, who for a long time attracted attention in every possible way. This simply could not pass by the UFC leadership. The league bosses were very happy to offer Khalil the title. And he got the chance that many dream of throughout their life and professional career.
Khalil Rowntree
Photo: Fake Images
Now, circumstances have come to light that are even more surprising to mixed martial arts fans. It became known that the Nevada State Athletic Commission has suspended Rountree from participating in fights for a period of 4.5 months. This is reported by MMAJunkie, citing the organization’s press service. In addition, the fighter was fined $157.04. On May 4, Rowntree provided a urine sample that tested positive for the anabolic steroid DHEA. The athlete later claimed that he took the supplement by accident.
The dietary supplement company confirmed to the Combat Sports Anti-Doping Agency (CSAD) that it sent the “therapeutic mixture” to the fighter “without prior approval.” CSAD also said that the doses Khalil took did not have any significant improvement in his physical performance. Therefore, the Nevada State Athletic Commission decided not to punish Rountree severely and chose a rather lenient punishment. He will still be able to participate in the title fight against Alex Pereira.
Alex is a perfect drummer, but he needs to work on his wrestling:
Pereira almost caught up with Makhachev. But the Russian champion is still cooler.
Rowntree is not an infallible fighter. And doping is not the only drawback. This is just an addition to the overall picture. Yes, Khalil had a five-fight winning streak. But at the same time he already has four losses in the UFC. And if you take into account The Ultimate Fighter, there are five failures. It seems that Alex will cope with such an opponent without any problems. Of course, I want competition and intrigue. But now Alex has gained such fantastic momentum that it will be almost impossible to stop him. Most likely, the history of the entire last opposition of the Brazilian will be repeated, where he simply crushed his opponents.
Alex Pereira
Photo: Fake Images
As for Ankalaev, he remains among the eternal “contenders”. Of course, victory in the next fight should be a step after which it will no longer be possible to ignore Magomed. But this is another test of strength that will have to be endured.
