Magomed Ankalaev Record, stats and next fight

Background

Born on June 2, 1992, in Teletl, a village in the Shamil district of Dagestan, Ankalaev started out in Greco-Roman wrestling while studying at Dagestan State Pedagogical University in Makhachkala. He then switched to combat sambo, a discipline in which he earned the title of Master of Sports.

As an amateur, he won the WMMAA world championships in 2013 in Baku, in 2015 in Prague and in 2016 in Macau, along with a silver medal in Minsk in 2014. He turned professional in January 2014 in Kharkiv and put together eight wins without a loss. In October 2016, he became the WFCA light heavyweight champion by stopping Maxim Grishin in the fourth round, then defended the title against Wagner Prado in June 2017.

UFC Career

His debut in London in March 2018 ended abruptly: facing Paul Craig, he controlled the fight and then got caught in a triangle choke with one second left in the third round. It was his only loss for seven years.

Nine straight wins followed, including two stoppages of Ion Cutelaba, a decision over Nikita Krylov, another over Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 267, then a second-round TKO against Anthony Smith at UFC 277. In December 2022, his fight for the vacant title against Jan Blachowicz ended in a draw on the scorecards.

His bout with Johnny Walker at UFC 294 was ruled a no contest after an illegal knee. The January 2024 rematch ended in a second-round KO. Ankalaev then beat Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308, before defeating Alex Pereira by decision at UFC 313 on March 8, 2025, to become the light heavyweight champion.

On October 4, 2025, at UFC 320, he lost the belt by TKO at 1:20 of the first round in the rematch. He returned on July 25, 2026, in Abu Dhabi and stopped Bogdan Guskov in the fifth round.

Between his 2018 loss and the one in October 2025, Ankalaev went thirteen fights in the UFC without losing, with one draw and one no contest. That run ranks among the longest unbeaten streaks in the division over the period.

Fighting Style

Ankalaev fights out of a southpaw stance. He works behind a long jab, repeated low kicks and a left-hand counter, and he uses the threat of the takedown to freeze his opponents on the feet. Eleven of his wins came by KO or TKO, ten by decision and none by submission, which reflects the profile of a striker backed by a wrestling base rather than a finisher on the mat. He applies the same method over five rounds: little risk-taking early in the fight, a pace that rises from the third round on, and takedown defense that limits the time he spends on his back.