5 UFC light heavyweights who could beat Magomed Ankalaev

#4. Aleksander Rakic

UFC 259: Santos v Rakic

The 14-2 Aleksandar Rakic should be a problem for anyone competing in the light heavyweight division. While he did lose a split decision to the former title challenger, Volan Oezdemir, 'Rocket' has dominated two in a row since his lone UFC setback.

Well-rounded and a frequent finisher, Rakic has what it takes to send the Russian back down in the rankings. Both Rakic and Ankalaev are only a year apart in age and in time competing in the UFC. Rakic has made a more solid case for his spot as a contender with exciting finishes over Jimi Manuwa and Devin Clark.

Both fighters have shown to be a little too tentative in their previous outings, and potentially they could bring the best out of each other. So far, it just seems that Rakic has a little more to offer and would have a good chance of defeating Ankalaev.

#3. Jan Błachowicz

UFC 259: Blachowicz v Adesanya

Former light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz would pose many problems for Ankalaev if or when the two meet in the octagon. The Polish fighter is coming off of a submission loss to Glover Teixeira. This loss also ended his run as the champion.

The legendary "Polish power" could be a little too much for the Russian fighter to deal with. Very well-rounded and dangerous, Błachowicz is expected to come back with some ferocity in order to get his belt back.

While the rising Russian is quite the athlete himself, Błachowicz has proven himself to be amongst the best in the division and, despite his recent loss, has shown improvements at each showing he's had in the past few years. It'll take more than one loss at the hands of a great athlete to write Błachowicz off, and for that, he'll most likely get the win.