Magomed Ankalaev has been flying under the radar as one of UFC light heavyweight’s top bogeymen for seven years.
Since debuting in the promotion in 2018, Ankalaev has tasted defeat once and currently rides a 13-fight unbeaten streak. He challenges for the light heavyweight throne against Alex Pereira at UFC 313.
UFC 313 will be Ankalaev’s second UFC title shot after his draw with Jan Blachowicz in 2022. This time, he’ll be looking to make a statement against ‘Poatan.’
Until then, here’s everything you need to know about Magomed Ankalaev.
Magomed Ankalaev age, height, weight, and reach
Ankalaev was born on June 2, 1992, and is 32. He is listed at 6’2″ (191cm) and has a reach of 75″ (191cm), which puts him on the larger side for a UFC light heavyweight. Ankalaev fights in the UFC light heavyweight division and weighs 205 lbs.
The tallest opponent Ankalaev has faced is Johnny Walker, who stands at 6’6″. The shortest he has faced was 5’8″ Lloyd Marshbanks, whom Ankalaev knocked out in 15 seconds in his fourth professional contest in 2016.
Magomed Ankalaev record
Ankalaev is 21-1-1 (1NC) in professional MMA and 11-1-1 (1NC) in the UFC. He has been defeated once in 23 professional fights, suffering a last-second submission to Paul Craig in his UFC debut.
Half of Ankalaev’s wins have come by knockout, 45 percent by decision, and one by submission.
| Method of victory | Amount |
| KO/TKO | 10 |
| Submission | 1 |
| Decision | 9 |
Magomed Ankalaev loss
Ankalaev has one loss: to Paul Craig in his UFC debut. Craig submitted Ankalaev with a triangle-choke in the last second of their three-round fight.
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
Ankalaev has fought Walker twice in the UFC. The first time was in 2023 at UFC 294. Walker came out aggressive, almost luring his Russian foe into a flying knee. The action wouldn’t last long, however, as Ankalaev accidentally poked Walker in the eye, forcing a No-Contest.
This result drew a lot of scrutiny to Ankalaev, who had just botched his first UFC title fight against Blachowicz in a tepid decision draw. To compensate, Ankalaev knocked Walker out with a hook-uppercut combination in their immediate rematch.
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Nikita Krylov
One of Ankalaev’s underrated victories came against Nikita Krylov in 2021. At the time, Krylov had just recouped from a split decision loss to future champion Glover Teixeira by defeating a surging Johnny Walker.
Krylov proved to be a formidable adversary on the feet, so Ankalaev secured a unanimous decision victory with his offensive wrestling.
Magomed Ankalaev stats
| Significant Strikes Landed per Minute | 3.64 |
| Significant Striking Accuracy | 52% |
| Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute | 2.37 |
| Significant Strike Defense (the % of opponents strikes that did not land) | 58% |
| Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes | 0.92 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 31% |
| Takedown Defense (the % of opponents’ TD attempts that did not land) | 86% |
| Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes | 0.0 |
Magomed Ankalaev next fight
Ankalaev vs. Pereira
Ankalaev will take on Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight UFC championship in the main event of UFC 313 on March 8, 2025. Ankalaev is widely considered to be Pereira’s stiffest test in the UFC since he has a strong grappling background paired with solid fundamental striking.