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Magomed Ankalaev is a Russian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the light heavyweight division of the UFC. The Russian is ranked No. 3 in the UFC and is very close to lining up a title shot. Ankalaev is from the Republic of Dagestan, the same place as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
He compiled a perfect record of 9 wins and 0 losses before making his debut in the UFC in 2018. However, his winning streak came to an end in his debut when he lost to Paul Craig via a triangle choke. Since then, he has bounced back stronger. He's riding a nine fight win streak with victories over fighters such as Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Nikita Krylov.
This streak put Ankalaev at the No.4 rank in his division. His next fight took place on December 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He fought the former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title.
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The fight resulted in a split draw and the decisison was widely contested within the MMA community. Magomed Ankalaev will return to compeitition against Johnny Walker at UFC 294 on October 21, 2023. A potential win over Walker bring Ankalaev a step closer to another title shot.
Throwback to Magomed Ankalaev's Twitter spat with Anthony Smith
Magomed Ankalaev got into a back and forth with Anthony Smith on Twitter shortly after he announced his fight against Jan Blachowicz back in 2022. 'Lion Heart' stated the Russian would not be able to overcome the Polish MMA fighter. In response to Smith's comments, Ankalaev responded on Twitter saying:
"@lionheartasmith you thank JAN can beat me how bad you want him to beat me if I beat him you should never fight again"
He went on to poke fun at Smith for his performance in their fight:
"You broke your foot stepping on my feet"
He also added:
"I kicked you so hard you quit"
Anthony Smith and Magomed Ankalaev's rivalry has died out as the duo are on completely different career trajectories at the moment. However, Anthony Smith has got back in the win column recently. If he can make his way up, another showdown between the two cannot be ruled out.
