UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev
This weekend sees the UFC return to Las Vegas for its latest Fight Night event. While it lacks a bout with immediate title implications, it’s actually a very deep card.
UFC Fight Night: Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev not only features a tremendous headliner, but there are plenty of other excellent fights on tap as well. With a number of fighters looking to move up the rankings after this weekend, this event is one that can’t be missed.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev.
#1. UFC light heavyweight: Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev
This light heavyweight bout promises to not only be an entertaining one, but could also have major implications for the future of the UFC light heavyweight title.
Current champion Glover Teixeira is all set to defend against top contender Jiri Prochazka in June. When that fight is done, there’s no clear-cut challenger.
That means that if he can defeat a former UFC title challenger in Thiago Santos here, Magomed Ankalaev could well find himself at the front of the queue.
Another product of Dagestan’s seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of great fighters, Ankalaev has been with the promotion since early 2018. Since then, he’s put together a record of 7-1 and would have a perfect octagon record were it not for a single moment of misjudgement in his debut against Paul Craig.
Like his countrymen Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, Ankalaev’s major strength is his wrestling. For the most part, whenever he’s wanted to take an opponent down, he’s been able to do it, using a combination of explosive double legs and trips from the clinch.
However, unlike those two fighters, Ankalaev also has a brutal striking game. We saw this in his knockouts of Ion Cutelaba, Marcin Prachnio and Dalcha Lungiambula. He also comfortably outstruck UFC veteran Volkan Oezdemir in their bout last year.
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Does he have any real weaknesses? Aside from a penchant for perhaps playing it safe at times, it doesn’t seem like he does. However, it’s worth noting we haven’t seen him take a big shot to the jaw yet.
Santos may well look to test that. ‘Marreta’ has been surprisingly successful in the UFC since arriving following a stint on TUF Brazil 2. His biggest wins have come at 205 pounds, where he’s beaten the likes of Jan Blachowicz, Jimi Manuwa and Johnny Walker.
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Santos carries ridiculous power in all of his strikes and is aggressive to a fault, meaning that often, his opponents struggle to handle him. The fighters who have beaten him, for the most part, either overcame him on the ground or found that he was surprisingly passive, managing to lull him into a slower-paced fight.
The issue for ‘Marreta’ here is that Ankalaev is capable of doing both, particularly the former. So, unless he can catch the Dagestani unawares and blitz him early, then it might well be a tricky night for him.
Overall, this looks like a good match for Ankalaev. If he can protect his chin, he should be able to force Santos on his back and take him out from there. If he can pull off a finish, then the next title shot ought to be his.
The Pick: Ankalaev via second-round TKO