Magomed Ankalaev has been dominating the fighting realm with his strong striking and grappling skills for the last few years. Winning 19 fights in his professional MMA career, 9 of which came via finishes, the Dagestani fighter has greatly impressed the fighting community. However, there were a few instances when he faced trouble inside the MMA cage. Surprisingly, it came in his debut fight in the UFC.

There is a single loss blotting the Dagestani fighter’s record red. Let’s take a look and see how Ankalaev lost his bout and against whom.

Magomed Ankalaev’s only MMA loss: Who defeated him?

Back in March 2018, at UFC Fight Night 127, Ankalaev faced his very first defeat as a professional mixed martial artist. This was the fight that broke his 9-fight win streak. And the man who defeated the Russian fighter was none other than Paul Craig. It was indeed Ankalaev’s debut fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and he dominated the Octagon with his fighting prowess. But it all went haywire when Craig took control of the fight by executing a triangle choke in the 3rd round. The pain seemed a bit too much for the Russian to handle and he gave out with just 1 second left for the horn to announce the end of the fight.

Needless to say, it was an utterly disappointing outcome for Ankalaev. Had he endured the pain for one more second, he would have achieved a victory via decision. Talking about the loss, he once revealed, “That loss changed my life. It was hard for me at first. I didn’t come out in public for a month. My mother lives in Khasavyurt with my brother. I spent a month there. I thought I wouldn’t fight anymore. Then within that month, I realized that it wasn’t because of me. I did everything I could. It was the will of the Almighty. It was a relief. I started to understand the situation then I went back to training. I came in the gym and put in work. I left it all in the gym and got my results.”

This defeat changed Ankalaev’s perspective. When he was on an undefeated professional MMA record, he was always worrying about the zero defeats. But UFC Fight Night 127 was quite an important lesson for the light heavyweight fighter. Now that he knew how bitter it felt to lose a bout, he began giving it his all in training. 

Ankalaev continued, “I had the worst loss in the UFC. I gave up literally in the final moments of a fight. People were saying good and bad things. The way I see it, I don’t do something to benefit someone else. I do it for myself, my close ones. Those who believe in me. So it’s easy for me.”

Thereafter, Ankalaev has gone on an undefeated spree and is currently on a 10-fight winning spree, with his last win coming out of a right hook-uppercut KO against Johnny Walker back in January 2024. However, there was one other fight that had garnered quite a bit of attention. And it wasn’t a win or a loss. 

What happened when Magomed Ankalaev faced Jan Blachowicz?

At UFC 282, Ankalaev clashed with Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight championship belt in the main event. It was indeed the first time Ankalaev got a chance to claim the championship title. However, the bout ended up in a draw, after an all-out brawl for 5 rounds. Mike Bell scored the match 48-47 in favor of Blachowicz, and Derek Cleary numbered the game 48-46 for Ankalaev. But it was Sal D’Amato who scored the fight 47-47 and caused it to end in a split draw. 

Right after the conclusion of the fifth round, Blachowicz raised his opponent’s hand as if he admitted his defeat. But the world of mixed martial went through a moment of shock as the fight was announced to be a draw. While the Polish fighter conceded defeat, Ankalaev had said, “I don’t know what to say. I won that fight. Why didn’t I get my belt? I don’t know what to say.”

Later on, Ankalaev fought Johnny Walker at UFC 294, and the fight was ruled as a no-contest because of an accidental illegal knee in the first round. Nevertheless, Ankalaev is now set to fight Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308. If he wins his next bout, the fighting community can expect him to fight for the championship belt against Alex Pereira. After all, that is one of the fights that the entire fanbase is waiting for.

What are your thoughts on Ankalaev’s professional MMA record? Let us know if you think he can win against Rakic at UFC 308 in the comments down below.