Magomed Ankalaev is a devout Muslim, but he’s made an exception about Ramadan for the sake of his health heading into UFC 313.
Ankalaev, 32, challenges Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight championship this Saturday at UFC 313 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).
When the fight was announced in January, the timing was considered curious given that it fell during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in which Muslims are required to fast – abstaining from food and drink – from dawn to sunset on each of the 30 days as a way to practice self-restraint.