Athletes
Magomed Ankalaev Has The Light Heavyweight Summit In Sight
He Hails From The Mountains Of Dagestan, But Magomed Ankalaev Is Ready To Reach Another Peak This Weekend At UFC 313
More than two years on from his first UFC title opportunity, Magomed Ankalaev returns to T-Mobile Arena to challenge for the light heavyweight title once again. And this time, he plans to make sure he finishes the job.
Nine consecutive wins across four years saw Ankalaev surge into title contention in the 205-pound division, as he earned a shot at the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 282 in December 2022.
His title fight with former champion Jan Blachowicz was supposed to be his crowning moment, and when the fight reached the final horn, Ankalaev was sure that he’d done enough to earn the nod from the three judges at Octagonside.
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However, after five punishing rounds, the bout was scored a split draw and the title was left vacant. It was an outcome that many observers, including the majority of the media members who posted their scores online after the fight, disagreed with. To many, Ankalaev had been robbed of his moment, and he left the Octagon at T-Mobile Arena confused, angry, and emotional.
Looking back at that moment, Ankalaev said that he’s put that night, and all the associated hurt, in the past, and he’s ready to channel all his energy into his latest title chance this weekend.
“We can’t go back in history. We can’t return what already happened,” he told UFC.com.
“But now we have a new opportunity. We have a new opponent, new champion, and this is what I'm ready for.”
That heartbreaking draw with Blachowicz may have left him in tears as he left the arena floor, but that experience has helped him evolve into a tougher, more confident, more dangerous fighter.
“I think I'm 100 percent different because of my confidence,” he explained.
“I’m much more confident. I don't have the kind of tremors that I had before, before fights. I'm very confident. I don't even know how to say it in words. I just know that I can do it. I believe in myself.
“While we're still in the sport, we only can have one goal, that's the very top of the mountain.
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“We haven't reached that top of the mountain now, but now we're aiming there. We're looking to get there. We have an opportunity, and we can do whatever we can to reach that peak.”
On Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Ankalaev will finally get his chance to challenge for UFC gold once again when he takes on reigning light heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound star Alex Pereira.
“It’s a very different kind of fight to the one he engaged in with Blachowicz two years ago. But Ankalaev knows that it’s a different kind of test for “Poatan,” too.
“He’s a great fighter. What can I say?” he said.
“He's achieved a lot. He's a champion. He's defended his belt two or three times. But I think his time is up, that's it, because he's never fought somebody like myself.
“I’m going to be a very new challenge for him. I'm going to get this belt. And I think after my fight, he's done.”
Much has been made of the style matchup between the pair, with many highlighting Ankalaev’s Dagestani wrestling as a major weapon that could be deployed against the former two-division kickboxing world champion.
Typically, Ankalaev has preferred to stand and strike as his first point of attack, but admitted that his wrestling could certainly play a major factor in this bout. Despite that, he was also keen to stress that wrestling won’t be his sole weapon when he faces Pereira on Saturday night.
“If we take out the striking completely, we know exactly what we can do with him in just the wrestling department, but that's not what we're here for,” he said.
“We're going to show our striking. We're going to show our wrestling. We're going to do whatever we can to make sure to get this belt.
“We don't have a specific strategy to just wrestle, and that's it. We're gonna make sure to find weak points, attack it, and that's the way to get the victory.”
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Hardened by the disappointment of his last title fight in Las Vegas, and buoyed by the knowledge that he’s an even better fighter today than he was the last time he competed for the belt, Ankalaev is ready to take that final step to the light heavyweight summit.
After having to take the long road back to a title shot after the heartbreak of his first title chance, the 32-year-old said that wearing championship gold around his waist would be the culmination of years of hard work to finally reach his career goal.
“It’s a dream,” he said.
“This is something I've worked for, my team worked for, for a long time. This is the last step, this is the last thing I have to do, feel (the belt) around my waist and call myself the world champion (and) know how it feels.”
And Ankalaev said that he would be a model champion for the UFC as he vowed to take on all-comers as the reigning king of the 205-pound division.
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“I think it would be really good for the UFC to have me as a champion, because I'm not going to be the kind of champion that you have to protect,” he said.
“I’m going to be fighting with whoever throws the challenges out. I'm going to be active. I'm going to defend the belt as many times as I can.”
UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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