Magomed Ankalaev Stats: Losses, UFC Record, Height, Reach and More About the Light Heavyweight

UFC has seen a number of fighters coming from different countries, however, there are two countries that have absolutely dominated the performance charts of combat sports. Brazil and Russia. Both of these countries have a number of fighters who are considered the best in the entire world.

One such fighter is Magomed Ankalaev hailing from the mountainous Makhachkala region of Russia. Ankalev has always been a fighter. Ankalaev made his mark on the day he knocked on the doors of UFC. His records and skills do the speaking for him. As we await his return at UFC 294, let’s delve further into Ankalaev’s stats.

The early MMA career of Magomed Ankalaev and his attributes

The Russian currently fights in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division. The 31-year-old fighter stands at 6 feet and 3 inches tall (or 193 centimeters tall.) Ankalaev was born on June 2 1992 in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia. He started his training in the arts of Greco-Roman wrestling at the early age of eight.

Later he changed his martial arts preferences to combat sambo and kickboxing. Ankalaev graduated from the Dagestan State University in sports faculty. Before making his professional UFC debut, Ankalaev fought in the World Fighting Championship Akhmat (WFCA). After winning his debut match on January 14 2014 against Vasily Babich, he continued to win his next eight fights, capturing the World Fighting Championship Akhmat (WFCA) light heavyweight title along the way. Ankalaev defended the title twice in such time.

In June 2014, Ankalaev achieved a remarkable feat when he defeated both of Fedor Emelianeko’s students, Valentin Moldavsky in the semi-finals and Vadim Nemkov in the finals at the Russian MMA championship. This performance of Ankalaev got him much-needed attention. Since then, Ankalaev has been unstoppable in his pursuit to achieve greatness in the realm of combat sports.

Ankalev’s pro MMA record

Magomed Ankalaev had one of the best starts in his professional career. The Russian has a record of 18 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. Out of his 18 wins, 9 came out by knockout, 0 were by submission, and 8 were by decision. He had a 9-fight winning streak in the UFC which was broken when his last match resulted in a draw with Jan Blachowicz. Furthermore, Ankalev has fought and beaten the likes of Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith.

Ankalev uses his dominant striking abilities to get past his opponents and this is evident in his 9 knockouts. The Russian has an impressive reach of 75 inches which helps him throw massive punches and maintain his distance. Ankalaev has yet to fight someone who is similar to Johnny Walker. He is currently ranked #2 in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division and is off to face off against Johnny Walker on October 21.

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While Ankalaev has been absent from the world of fighting since last December, Walker has already fought twice this year and is on a three-fight winning streak. Ankalev had more time to prepare for the fight but Walker has more experience in the octagon this year. Who will emerge victorious in their fight? Only time has the answer. Tell us about your thoughts in the comments below.

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