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It’s January and that means the start of a whole new year of UFC events. They’re kicking the year off with, what else, a show at the Apex in Las Vegas.
If we go back in our memory palaces, we will recall that the first contest between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker didn’t go quite the way anybody had hoped. It was back at UFC 294 this past October when Ankalaev threw an illegal knee and after the ringside physician was called in to assess Walker, he determined that the Brazilian contender wouldn’t be able to continue.
Johnny Walker calls for no rules bout with Magomed Ankalaev
Walker sounds like he’s still mad about the foul.
Ankalaev thinks Walker quit.
Magomed Ankalaev just wants to move on from Johnny Walker
Despite a No Contest, this feels like a chance for Walker to reverse a loss, and for Ankalaev, to reaffirm a win.
In a recent interview with the UFC, Ankalaev spoke about facing Walker again and made it pretty clear that this bout isn’t something he’s so much looking forward to as it’s something he’s looking forward to putting behind him.
“It was another challenge in my career,” Ankalaev said of their first fight. “I can’t wait to finish this story on January 13th and move on.”
“I was mad, of course, but it is what it is,” he added, speaking of the stoppage. “ [I] will be more focused on (my) opponent’s positions,” he added, speaking of what he’ll look to change for this fight.
UFC Vegas 84 main card
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker 205 lbs
- Matheus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape 125 lbs
- Jim Miller vs. Gabriel Benítez 155 lbs
- Ricky Simón vs. Mario Bautista 135 lbs
- Phil Hawes vs. Brunno Ferreira 185 lbs
Nicolau vs Kape is also a rematch, but one people actually want to see. The first fight resulted in a razor thin split decision loss for Kape who’s won four straight since then. For his part, Nicolau has gone 3-1 since then but he’s coming off a KO loss to Brandon Royval at UFC Kansas City back in April. The bout is expected to be a banger.
UFC legend Jim Miller faces off against journeyman Gabriel Benitez who has racked up a 7-6 record in 10 years (!) in the UFC. Miller’s 40-years-old and has 42 fights in the Octagon since joining the promotion in 2008. If all goes as expected, Miller will extend his record for most fights in the UFC and likely add to his most wins inside the promotion record too.
UFC Vegas 84 preliminary card
- Andrei Arlovski vs. W. Cortes-Acosta 265 lbs
- M. Semelsberger vs. Preston Parsons 170 lbs
- Marcus McGhee vs. Gaston Bolaños 135 lbs
- Farid Basharat vs. Taylor Lapilus 135 lbs
- Westin Wilson vs. Jean Silva 145 lbs
- Tom Nolan vs. Nikolas Motta 155 lbs
- Felipe Bunes vs. Joshua Van 125 lbs
Andrei Arlovski is by far the biggest name on the prelims card. The former UFC heavyweight champ is 44 and somehow is still on the roster even though he pulls down six figures every time he fights and he hasn’t been a contender since Tim Sylvia was the champ. If he loses to Cortes-Acosta, Arlovski could very well find himself cut by the promotion.