Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight talents Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker will battle for the second time in four months TONIGHT (Sat., Jan. 13, 2024) at UFC Vegas 84 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The first fight demonstrated very little.
Walker had some success with his low kicks early, but Ankalaev found a few counter shots. Walker tried to play possum to score a jump knee — it nearly landed — but his explosion ultimately landed him on his back. Ankalaev controlled him for a minute, threw a blatantly illegal knee, and the fight was over before it really started. Subsequently, Ankalaev’s would-be title shot is delayed several more months. Walker, meanwhile, is looking to make a statement himself, and he actually rides a fair bit of momentum into this clash, “No Contest” aside.
The stakes are high, so let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:
Magomed Ankalaev
Record: 18-1-1 (1)
Key Wins: Anthony Smith (UFC 277), Volkan Oezdemir (UFC 267), Thiago Santos (UFC Vegas 50), Nikita Krylov (UFC Vegas 20), Ion Cutelaba (UFC 254, UFC Fight Night 169), Dalcha Lungiambula (UFC Fight Night 163)
Key Losses: Paul Craig (UFC Fight Night 127)
Keys to Victory: Ankalaev has a deep background in combat Sambo, but he spends a lot of his time in the Octagon working as a Southpaw counter puncher. He has serious knockout power and a lovely left kick, as well as the athletic gifts of a top talent.
There is no need to overcomplicate things here. Ankalaev probably cost himself UFC gold by opting not to wrestle until Jan Blachowicz shredded his leg, and then he still beat up the former champion on the floor! Last time out, Ankalaev went one-for-one on scoring takedowns, so why not return to that strategy?
Walker has been outwrestled previously. Better yet, it’s a style proven to fatigue him and drain him of some of that flash. Ankalaev doesn’t have to force takedowns, but if he wrestles early and often, he’s likely to wear down Walker and finish him late.
Johnny Walker
Record: 21-7 (1)
Key Wins: Anthony Smith (UFC Charlotte), Paul Craig (UFC 283), Misha Cirkunov (UFC 235), Ryan Spann (UFC Vegas 11), Khalil Rountree Jr (UFC Fight Night 140), Ion Cutelaba (UFC 279)
Key Losses: Jamahal Hill (UFC Vegas 48), Corey Anderson (UFC 244), Nikita Krylov (UFC Fight Night 170), Thiago Santos (UFC Vegas 38)
Keys to Victory: Credit to Walker, he’s successfully reinvented himself. The Brazilian finisher went from wild man to tactician, while still keeping enough of his athletic offense to remain a potent striker.
In the last bout, distance kickboxing and low kicks were clearly the game plan. That’s a good game plan! Walker has the reach and kicking ability to beat up Ankalaev’s calf, and the Dagestani’s stance remains vulnerable to such strikes. One possible adjustment to make would be to work the outside calf more with switch kicks. I understand that Blachowicz did real damage to the inner calf, but … Blachowicz and his iron shins are unusual. Typically, outside low kicks are the one debilitating fighters in stances like Ankalaev.
Otherwise, Walker has to keep his base a bit lower to ward off takedowns. A good bend in the knee will help, as will throwing straight punches towards the mid-section. If Walker can keep it on the feet long enough to start taking out Ankalaev’s legs, the rest of his offense will open up.
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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Bottom Line
A 205-pound title shot could be on the line.
Really, it depends on the timing of Jamahal Hill’s return, as well as the potential of Israel Adesanya jumping up to 205-pounds to chase Alex Pereira. Beyond a sudden return of “Sweet Dreams” and unlikely move from “Stylebender,” however, the winner of this fight would appear to be next-in-line for a shot at “Poatan.”
I’ll be frank: that’s an ideal style match up for Ankalaev. On paper, he wrestles through Pereira with relative ease … though weird things tend to happen in his fights. As for Walker, I cannot say I favor his odds, but it’s a marketable fight between strikers with excellent highlight reels.
At UFC Vegas 84, Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker will finally settle their business. Which man emerges victorious?
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 84 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
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