Magomed Ankalaev already had a lot going against him as he prepared to challenge for the UFC light heavyweight championship on Saturday, March 8th.

First and foremost was the defending champion, Alex Pereira, whose hands and feet were responsible for four straight knockouts in four straight UFC title fights: the match in which he won the belt, and three successful title defenses. Pereira had also earned previous stoppages against high-profile names Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, and prior to joining the UFC, he made it into the GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Fame with 21 knockouts among his 33 victories.

Ankalaev also faced the daunting task of fighting the biggest match of his life during Ramadan, which could pose physical and mental adversity for the 32-year-old Muslim athlete from Russia.

In the days leading up to the main event of the UFC 313 show in Las Vegas, Ankalaev revealed that when the fight against Pereira was initially scheduled, he went to UFC officials and tried to get the date moved to sometime after Ramadan — which began February 28th and goes until March 29th. Those who observe the Islamic holy month fast during daylight hours, abstaining from any food or drink. Some Muslim athletes have thrived while observing Ramadan, but even they have described how it can be difficult to train and compete during that time. Some Muslim athletes choose not to fast if Ramadan falls during their season or in a training window, because it’s just too hard on their bodies. The UFC did not move the date of the fight, leaving Ankalaev with a decision to make. In addition to possibly being physically compromised by fighting in the middle of Ramadan, the combat sambo specialist may not have been in the right mindset, either; he said that he typically spends Ramadan away from the sport, using that time to focus on Islam and be with his family.

“In this month, we’re not to fight,” Ankalaev told Sky Sports. “We are to worship. We’re to praise Allah.”

However, he decided to keep the date and not forfeit his first shot at a UFC championship.

“This is the type of opportunity that we’ve been after for so long, and for now to let it go would have been not a good choice,” Ankalaev said. “So we decided that even though it is the holy month for us, that we have to jump on this opportunity and do the best with what we have.”

And then, days before the fight, Pereira tried to use Ankalaev’s religion against him. In an interview with AG Fight, Pereira accused Ankalaev of using Ramadan as ploy to gain sympathy from fans and as a convenient excuse in case he lost inside the Octagon — while also suggesting that Ankalaev wasn’t even observing Ramadan because Pereira had evidence that he’d been eating lunch during training.

Ankalaev acknowledged that he had not observed the fast for a few days while cutting weight to reach the 205-pound limit. But for what it’s worth, he didn’t owe anyone an explanation. Muslims who are traveling or who are experiencing a hardship are among those excused from fasting; Ankalaev was away from home in Las Vegas and going through the hardship of weight-cutting, so he meets the criteria. Also, any Muslim can forego fasting for whatever reason they want during Ramadan and make up that day after the holy month is over.

If Ankalaev was physically or mentally less than his best on fight night, it didn’t show. In a five-round unanimous decision, Ankalaev defeated Pereira to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.

A lot of MMA fans hate the success of fighters from the Dagestan region of Russia (many of whom are Muslim), calling their wrestling-based style bland and boring. Ankalaev is one of those fighters, and he did what a lot of fans feared he would do to neutralize Pereira’s explosive striking power. And it worked. While Ankalaev wasn’t able to get Pereira on the ground, he smothered him against the cage and controlled in the clinch when he wasn’t keeping Pereira at distance with punches. It wasn’t the most thrilling showdown, but Ankalaev got the job done against the No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound man in the UFC to claim his first title.

Ankalaev improved his professional record to 20-1-1 with 10 stoppages and 1 no-contest. He hasn’t lost a fight since 2018. If not a rematch against Pereria, his first title defense could be against Jan Blachowitz, currently the No. 3-ranked light heavyweight contender who fought Ankalaev to a draw in 2022. Ankalaev joins Belal Muhammad (welterweight) and Islam Makhachev (lightweight) as current Muslim champions in the UFC.