5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev

#2. Song Yadong – defeated Marlon Moraes in a UFC bantamweight bout

Song Yadong didn’t need long to take out Marlon Moraes

The idea that Marlon Moraes is probably reaching the tail end of his career with the UFC is difficult to dispute. However, the fact that Song Yadong defeated him in such devastating fashion – leaving him unconscious as the victim of a walk-off KO – should mean the Chinese fighter breaks into the top ten at bantamweight next week.

‘The Kung Fu Monkey’ has looked like an elite-level 135 lber in waiting for a while now. His win over Marlon Vera in May 2020 seemed to signal that he was ready for a run at the top. However, he followed that with almost a year on the shelf and a loss to Kyler Phillips, derailing his momentum badly.

Last night, though, was his third win in a row, and his first over a really proven opponent, too. Moraes has obviously been losing plenty of fights recently. However, he’s still very dangerous – as his early success against Merab Dvalishvili showed – and yet he had nothing at all for Song last night.

Essentially, ‘The Kung Fu Monkey’ appears to be hitting his stride right now, and this win more than proved that. Could he defeat one of the higher-ranked fighters in the division? He’d definitely stand a chance and will probably get a major opponent next time out.

Either way, this was a hell of a knockout, meaning the Chinese fighter should easily be considered one of last night’s big winners.

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#1. Magomed Ankalaev – defeated Thiago Santos in a UFC light heavyweight bout

Magomed Ankalaev should be ready for a title shot after his win over Thiago Santos last night.

While he didn’t pick up the finish he probably wanted, instead taking a clear-cut unanimous decision, it’s difficult to dispute the idea that Magomed Ankalaev was the biggest winner last night’.

The Dagestani light heavyweight clearly outworked former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos. He largely used his sharp counter-striking to punish the Brazilian when he attempted his trademark haymakers.

Interestingly, Ankalaev didn’t even really unleash his impressive wrestling game. That was a major surprise given that most fans figured that was his simplest route to victory. Instead, he fought Santos in his own wheelhouse – and despite nearly paying for it when ‘Marreta’ hurt him in the second round -he came out on top.

The big question now is whether Ankalaev goes right into a title bout the next time he visits the octagon, or if he has to fight again before a clash with either Glover Teixeira or Jiri Prochazka.

On one hand, the Dagestani is on the lengthiest win streak in the division – winning eight bouts in a row. He looks to have the skills to beat anyone on the planet at 205 lbs. On the other hand, though, after failing to finish his foe here, the UFC may want him to fight another contender – perhaps Aleksandar Rakic – first.

Either way, it’s difficult to deny his position as a true elite 205 lber, so Magomed Ankalaev must be considered as last night’s biggest winner.