Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev controlled the range through the opening three rounds, then widened the gap in the championship rounds and finished Bogdan Guskov with strikes at 2:41 of the fifth.

Key moments

• Ankalaev used rangy attacks and dealt with Guskov's return fire through the first three rounds.
• He opened up further as the fight reached the championship rounds.
• The fifth-round pressure produced the TKO finish at 2:41.

Ankalaev's rematch with Pereira went wrong much faster than their first meeting, as Pereira hurt him early and closed the stoppage with punches and elbows inside two minutes.

Key moments

• Lost the rematch by first-round TKO.
• The finish came at 1:20 of the opening round.
• Never had time to settle into the slower range battle that favored him in their first fight.

In their first meeting, Ankalaev did enough over five rounds to take a unanimous decision from Pereira and prove he could handle a championship-level striking match without losing structure.

Key moments

• Beat Pereira by unanimous decision over 25 minutes.
• Won a title-level fight without needing a late finish.
• Used patient range work to blunt one of the division's most dangerous strikers.

The rematch with Walker gave Ankalaev a cleaner ending than the first meeting, as he found the finish in round two with punches after hurting Walker. It was the kind of composed stoppage that fits his style: low panic, then sudden separation once the opening appears.

Key moments

• Finished Walker by second-round knockout.
• Closed the stoppage at 2:42 of round two.
• Resolved the no-contest from their first meeting decisively.

Ankalaev's first fight with Walker ended abruptly after an accidental illegal knee rendered Walker unable to continue. The no-contest frustrated both sides because the matchup had barely begun before the stoppage forced an immediate rematch conversation.

Key moments

• The bout was ruled a no-contest in round one.
• An accidental illegal knee at 3:13 ended the fight early.
• The inconclusive finish led directly to the rematch.

Blachowicz chewed up Ankalaev's lead leg early, but Ankalaev rallied with late-round pressure and takedowns before the judges returned a split draw that left the belt vacant.

Key moments

• Blachowicz damaged Ankalaev's lead right leg badly enough that he had to abandon his natural southpaw stance.
• Ankalaev came back in the championship rounds by pushing forward and wrestling more aggressively.
• The judges scored it 48-47 Blachowicz, 48-46 Ankalaev and 47-47.
• Because the main event ended in a split draw, the vacant title stayed unclaimed.

Ankalaev handled Smith with patient kickboxing before a damaged leg left Smith increasingly stranded in place. Once Smith could no longer move properly, Ankalaev shifted to top pressure and ground-and-pound to force the second-round stoppage.

Key moments

• The fight stayed measured early, with Ankalaev making Smith miss and forcing him to reset.
• Smith's left ankle was badly compromised during the fight and later required surgery.
• Ankalaev took top position in round two and hammered away with punches until the referee stepped in.

Oezdemir made Ankalaev work for every clean exchange, but Ankalaev still controlled the fight with sharper counters and steadier offense over three rounds. The win showed he could beat a dangerous former title challenger without giving away the kind of chaos Oezdemir prefers.

Key moments

• Ankalaev stayed patient while Oezdemir looked for isolated power shots.
• He opened a nasty cut on Oezdemir during the striking exchanges.
• The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Ankalaev.

After the controversy of their first meeting, Ankalaev removed all doubt in the rematch by putting Cutelaba down cold late in the opening round. The finish was especially emphatic because the pair had already been through delays, bad blood and arguments over the original stoppage.

Key moments

• This rematch followed the disputed first fight and multiple scheduling disruptions.
• Ankalaev stayed composed while Cutelaba charged and looked to force exchanges.
• A clean punch finish at 4:19 of round one ended the feud with no controversy left.

Their first meeting ended almost immediately and turned into a refereeing controversy that followed Ankalaev for months. Ankalaev hurt Cutelaba with strikes and forced the stoppage in 38 seconds, but the ending was debated because Cutelaba had been acting and protesting before the referee waved it off.

Key moments

• Cutelaba used exaggerated reactions early, making it harder to read whether he was genuinely hurt.
• Ankalaev still landed head kicks and punches that had Cutelaba reeling along the fence.
• Referee Kevin MacDonald stopped the bout just 38 seconds into round one.
• The disputed ending led directly to an immediate rematch.

After wearing him down over two rounds, he landed a front kick up the middle and a follow-up punch to close the show in Moscow.

Key moments

• The first two rounds featured Ankalaev doing damage with strikes and steady top control.
• Lungiambula's gas tank began to fade as the fight moved into the third.
• A front kick to the chin set up the finishing punch at 0:29 of round three.

Ankalaev banked his first UFC decision by staying in control against the grappling-oriented Abreu across three rounds. It was a quieter performance than some of his knockouts, but it showed he could handle awkward opposition without giving away rounds.

Key moments

• Abreu's style asked Ankalaev to stay disciplined rather than chase a reckless finish.
• Ankalaev controlled enough of the striking and positioning to stay ahead throughout the bout.
• All three judges scored the fight for Ankalaev after 15 minutes.

Ankalaev bounced back from his heartbreaking debut loss in ideal fashion by wrecking Prachnio with a head kick in the first round.

Key moments

• This was Ankalaev's first fight after the last-second loss to Paul Craig.
• He caught Prachnio with a head kick and swarmed with punches to force the stoppage.
• The official finish came at 3:09 of round one.
• It served as Ankalaev's first UFC victory.

Ankalaev appeared to be seconds away from winning his UFC debut before Craig produced one of the sport's most dramatic reversals. After controlling and hurting Craig for almost the entire fight, Ankalaev was trapped in a triangle choke and forced to tap with one second left.

Key moments

• Ankalaev dominated most of the bout and looked on course for a clear debut win.
• Craig stayed dangerous off his back even while absorbing heavy damage.
• The triangle choke came at 4:59 of round three, one second before the final horn.
• It remains one of the most famous last-second submissions in UFC light heavyweight history.

Ankalaev barely needed time to get started, stopping Celso Ricardo da Silva in little more than a minute at WFCA 43.

Key moments

• The fight ended in the opening round at WFCA 43.
• The knockout time is listed as 1:11.
• It was another first-round finish during Ankalaev's late regional surge.
• The win kept him lined up for his eventual UFC move.

Ankalaev proved he could handle a full three-round regional fight by taking a unanimous decision over Astakhov at WFCA 23.

Key moments

• The fight went all three rounds at WFCA 23.
• Ankalaev won a unanimous decision rather than relying on another stoppage.
• It helped show his control could hold over full rounds as well as bursts.