Magomed Ankalaev

Overview

Nine straight wins, then a draw with a former champion, then a no contest, then a run in which the only blemish is a first-round loss in a title fight. Magomed Ankalaev's UFC record is 13-2-1 with one no contest, and both losses came by finish: a submission on debut, a knockout in 2025.

He fights at light heavyweight out of Atletica Sports, and his UFC career splits cleanly in two. A shaky first fight, then a long stretch in which almost nothing went wrong. He carries a one-fight win streak into his next fight.

UFC Career

The debut went badly. Paul Craig submitted him in the third round at 4:59, one second from the final bell, at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov in March 2018. It was his only submission loss.

Then came the run. Marcin Prachnio fell by first-round TKO in September 2018, and Klidson Abreu went the distance in early 2019. A third-round TKO of Dalcha Lungiambula in November 2019 came 29 seconds into the round. He then stopped Ion Cutelaba twice in eight months: 0:38 of round one in February 2020, and 4:19 of round one at UFC 254. Decisions over Nikita Krylov and Volkan Oezdemir kept the streak moving.

The step up came in 2022. He headlined against Thiago Santos, our model's "strong" tier, and won a five-round decision. Then he stopped Anthony Smith, an elite opponent by our model, in round two at UFC 277. That made nine in a row.

The streak ended at UFC 282, where he headlined a five-round fight with Jan Blachowicz and drew by split decision. A no contest with Johnny Walker followed at UFC 294, called in round one at 3:13. The rematch settled it: a second-round TKO in January 2024, in the main event. A unanimous decision over Aleksandar Rakic came at UFC 308.

In March 2025 he beat Alex Pereira by unanimous decision over five rounds, another elite opponent. The October rematch at UFC 320 was a title fight, and it ended in a first-round knockout loss at 1:20. He answered with a fifth-round TKO of Bogdan Guskov in a main event.

Two losses in 17 UFC fights. One at the start, one at the top.

Fighting Style

Ankalaev is a striker who is hard to hit and hard to take down. He absorbs very little offense, and opponents have a tough time putting him on the mat. His accuracy is a strength, though he lands at a pace close to the UFC average.

He rarely goes looking for takedowns or submissions, and none of his 13 UFC wins came by submission.

The finish pattern is all strikes. Seven of his 13 wins are KO/TKO, spread across rounds one through five: three in round one, two in round two, one in round three and one in round five. The other six went to decision. He finishes early or goes the distance, with the fifth-round TKO of Guskov the one stoppage that came late.

Notable Wins

• Alex Pereira — unanimous decision, round 5, UFC 313 (2025)
• Anthony Smith — KO/TKO, round 2 (3:09), UFC 277 (2022)
• Thiago Santos — unanimous decision, round 5, UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev (2022)
• Johnny Walker — KO/TKO, round 2 (2:42), UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 (2024)

Quick Facts

• Division: Light Heavyweight
• UFC record: 13-2-1, 1 NC
• Professional record (all promotions): 22-2-1, 1 NC
• UFC debut: March 2018
• Stance: Orthodox
• Reach: 75"
• Height: 6'3"
• Team: Atletica Sports
• Born: Russia