Magomed Ankalaev’s last two fights have not produced victories (nor losses) for the hard-hitting Dagestani, fighting to a draw against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282 in a duel for the then-vacant Light Heavyweight title before his wild bout against Johnny Walker was ruled a “No Contest” at UFC 294 in on “Fight Island” 10 months later (watch highlights).
Before that string of unfortunate luck, however, Anakalaev was one of the hottest fighters in the 205-pound division, winning nine straights fights inside the Octagon after stumbling out of the gates with a truly shocking last-minute loss in his Octagon debut (watch it).
His last win, in fact, came in July 2022, defeating former division title contender, Anthony Smith, at UFC 277. After a back-and-forth opening round, Anakalev was able to unleash some brutal (and relentless) ground-and-pound halfway through the second frame, prompting a stoppage.
Now, the No. 3-ranked fighter in the ultra-competitive weight class will attempt to get back in the win column once more when he rematches Walker in UFC Vegas 84’s ESPN+-streamed main event this weekend (Sat., Jan. 13, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada. And a win for Anakalaev could land him back in another title fight sooner rather than later.
Either way, it’s going to be great.
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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