Magomed Ankalaev isn’t the most outspoken contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, but he’s certainly as relevant as any of his contemporaries in the 205-pound title picture.
However, he hasn’t separated himself from the pack just yet.
At this point, it seems almost certain that the 29-year-old Dagestani will compete for UFC gold – if not one day have it wrapped around his waist – but that time isn’t quite yet.
Current UFC light heavyweight champ Glover Teixeira is scheduled to put his belt on the line for the first time in May, when he faces Czech challenger Jiri Prochazka, who was granted a title shot after registering just two octagon victories. The chief difference, of course, is both of those results came via “Performance of the Night” knockouts, including a vicious “Knockout of the Year” candidate in his first UFC main event, a brutal finish of Dominick Reyes.
Ankalaev (17-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) was given his first headlining opportunity at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 203 event, and things went a little differently.
Sure, Ankalaev seemed in complete control for nearly all of the 25-minute affair with Thiago “Marreta” Santos, but he also seemed unwilling to let loose in moments that offered a chance for the “violent ending” he said he was seeking earlier in the week. While the UFC Apex holds only a limited number of fans, it was clear the performance left them a bit unsatisfied, especially on a night that included enough great highlights that the company handed out four “Performance of the Night” awards.
It was a thorough win, but one that lacked an exclamation mark.
Ankalaev certainly can make an argument that he’s deserving of a title shot. After all, he currently owns an eight-fight winning streak. The past three have all come against top-10 opponents in Santos, Volkan Oezdemir and Nikta Krylov, though all three of those came via decision.
Ankalaev would be undefeated in his career were it not for the incredible, last-second heroics he met in his UFC debut when Paul Craig scored one of the most unlikeliest submissions in the history of the sport. In retrospect, that loss may have been more costly than anyone realized at the time.
The unfortunate reality about UFC title shots is it’s rarely about pure merit alone. The UFC has $75 pay-per-views to sell, which they accomplish by putting on fights that fans are willing to drop their hard-earned money to see. If Ankalaev still had a perfect career record, perhaps that would be the little something extra driving interest that just doesn’t seem to exist right now.
Sure, Ankalaev’s last three wins have all been over impressive names, but they haven’t been the type of performances that leave fans demanding to see more. While he was destructive in earlier wins over the likes of Ion Cutelaba, Dalcha Lungiambula and Marcin Prachnio, he’s leaned more towards technical superiority as he’s moved up the ranks.
Does it mean Ankalaev won’t ultimately find a way to claim UFC gold? Absolutely not. But I believe he will need to register one more win before he gets to challenge for the belt.
Jan Blachowicz, Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith are all viable options. If Blachowicz and Rakic, who were expected to meet later this month, are indeed rescheduled following an injury to the former champ, then Smith seems like a natural fit, and “Lionheart” told me directly after the fight that he’s interested in the booking.
It might be a disappointing delay for Ankalaev, but it’s one that was likely made necessary by a slightly lackluster result when it mattered most.
