Santos-Ankalaev top bill UFC Fight Night Sunday

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino mixed martial arts fans will be treated to what is expected to be a brutal main event match between fifth ranked UFC light heavyweight Thiago Santos and dangerous up-and-comer, Magomed Ankalaev, who is ranked sixth, this coming Sunday, March 13. 

Santos (22-9-0) is coming off an impressive win over Brazilian compatriot Johnny Walker in October of 2021; a win that snapped a three-bout slide and put him on course to contend for that belt wrapped around Glover Teixeira.

He won’t find it easy against Russian fighter Magomed Ankalaev who is on a seven-match win streak in the UFC and is 16-1-0 overall.

Like Santos, Ankalaev is an all-around fighter who can wrestle and strike. In his seven-match win streak, four have come by way of knockout (three in the first round) while the other three are unanimous decision wins.

In the lead up to this fight, the Russian said that “Thiago’s biggest mistake was signing the contract for this fight.”

When asked to explain to this writer, Ankalaev, back tracked, “When I was on my win streak, no one was accepting my fight. But when Thiago accepted it wasn’t like it was the biggest mistake of his career, but it was more like he needs to get a win to get a title shot. Unfortunately, it has to come through me.”

“I believe that my striking is better than his and the fans will be treated to an exciting fight,” predicted Ankalaev who also said that he will engage in heavy striking as opposed to trying to wrestle and submit the Brazilian. 

Santos so far will be the best fighter that Ankalaev will face in his UFC career. A win by the Russian will propel him higher, a loss, will not shake his standing. 

However, it isn’t so for Santos who cannot afford to go 1-4 in his last five UFC bouts. He will have to make use of his explosive power to dispatch the hungry Russian fighter if he wishes to pull out a triumph. 

“I am not going to lie… I am not expecting to get a title shot if I get a win against Thiago. All the other top fighters are on a win streak as well. I will just have to do my best and continue winning.”

UFC Fight Night Thiago Santos-Magomed Ankalaev will be shown in the Philippines on the Premier Sports Channel on Skycable and Cignal as well as the TapGo streaming application.