"This is probably his moment to take over in this division" - Paul Felder shares his prediction for Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev

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Paul Felder (left) and Thiago Santos vs Magomed Ankalaev (right) [Image credits: @tmarretamma on Instagram]

Paul Felder has made his pick for the upcoming light heavyweight fight between Thiago Santos and Magomed Ankalaev.

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While doing the 'UFC Round-up' show with Michael Chiesa, 'The Irish Dragon' previewed the upcoming main event. He said that Ankalaev might come out victorious on March 12:

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"Thiago Santos... is an absolute savage. The guy is just scary. I've always said [that] he's the scariest guy to me in the UFC, even if he's not the best guy right now. When I see him, 'Marreta' scares the hell out of me. Another guy, Ankalaev, this guy has all the skills in the world. I would lean towards Anakalev, I can't pick winners but I just think the well-roundedness, the wrestling, the kicks that he's got, the boxing that he's got, this is probably his moment to really take over in this division and move towards the title. That's what I think."

Catch the full episode of the 'UFC Round-Up' below:

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Felder used to compete as a lightweight in the UFC. During his run in the promotion, 'The Irish Dragon' fought several tough fighters like Mike Perry, Dan Hooker, Edson Barboza and Rafael dos Anjos.

Felder also has a win over current 155-pound king Charles Oliveira. The 37-year-old's last fight in the UFC took place in November 2020 against dos Anjos. Felder came up short that night and lost the contest via split decision. He later announced his retirement from the sport while working at the commentary desk for a UFC event.

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Magomed Ankalaev is on an incredible winning streak

Magomed Ankalaev is on an incredible run in the UFC and has managed to win seven out of his eight fights in the promotion. After losing his UFC debut against Paul Craig in March 2018, the 29-year-old bounced back and stacked up seven wins in a row. This streak includes victories over fighters like Ion Cutelaba, Nikita Krylov and Volkan Oezdemir. Ankalaev has an overall MMA record of 16-1.

Santos, on the other hand, is coming off a decision win against Johnny Walker. Before that, the Brazilian was on a three-fight skid in the UFC.

Santos vs. Ankalaev is an intriguing matchup as the winner could potentially be next in line for a shot at the light heavyweight title.

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