5 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night: Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev

#2. Alex Pereira is a major prospect in the middleweight division

Alex Pereira made a major statement in his octagon debut last year

Few prospects have debuted in the UFC with more fanfare than Alex Pereira received last September and it was with good reason.

Not only was ‘Po Atan’ bringing a reputation as one of the world’s best kickboxers into the octagon with him, he also came in as the only man to ever knock out current middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya – having defeated him twice in the ring between 2016 and 2017.

That meant that there was a lot of pressure on the Brazilian in his first trip to the octagon. He delivered the goods entirely, taking out Andreas Michailidis with a brutal flying knee in the second round.

This weekend sees ‘Po Atan’ return to action for the first time since then and it’s fair to say that he’s receiving quite the step up in competition. Opponent Bruno Silva only debuted in the UFC in 2021, but he’s already 3-0 in the promotion, stopping all three opponents via TKO.

We’ve seen world-class kickboxers taken out in the octagon on a number of occasions before. Gokhan Saki falling to Khalil Rountree via TKO comes to mind, for instance. So there’s no doubt that this is a dangerous bout for Pereira.

However, if ‘Po Atan’ can win, it’d be hard not to see him as the middleweight division’s top prospect. It’d also be hard not to start dreaming of a rematch between him and Adesanya That makes his bout this weekend an unmissable one.

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#1. Magomed Ankalaev may be the UFC’s best 205lber

Could Magomed Ankalaev be the next light-heavyweight champion?

The UFC’s light heavyweight division is in a peculiar place right now. Since the departure of legendary former champion Jon Jones, it’s arguable that nobody has really established themselves as the most dominant fighter at 205 pounds.

The current champion in the division is Glover Teixeira. As he’s already 42 years old and has suffered plenty of losses over the years, he certainly doesn’t feel invulnerable.

Teixeira is set to defend his title against Jiri Prochazka in a few months' time, but this weekend sees a fighter in action who could well prove himself to be the best in the division in the future.

That fighter is Magomed Ankalaev, who arrived in the octagon in 2018 with a stellar reputation from the Russian circuit. Since then, the native of Dagestan has gone 7-1 and is currently riding a seven-fight win streak, with four of those wins coming via KO or TKO.

When you consider that Ankalaev’s biggest strength is his wrestling and grappling ability, that makes him a very dangerous opponent for basically anyone in the division.

This weekend sees the Dagestani face off with Thiago Santos. If he can take out the former title challenger in impressive fashion, it’s hard not to imagine Ankalaev fighting for the gold, if not winning it, before the end of 2022.

That means that his fight with ‘Marreta’ could be the final hurdle on his path to the top, making it a must-see fare for any UFC fan.