5 Things You Might Not Know About Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev checks a lot of boxes.

The surging Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight contender will try to take another step toward an elusive title shot when he clocks in against onetime Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Anthony Smith in a featured UFC 277 attraction on Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Ankalaev enters the Octagon on the strength of eight straight victories—a run of sustained success that now spans more than four years. He last appeared in the UFC Fight Night 203 main event, where he took a five-round unanimous decision from Thiago Santos on March 12.

As Ankalaev makes final preparations for his forthcoming confrontation with Smith at 205 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He was spawned by a combat sports hotbed.

Ankalaev was born on June 2, 1992 in Makhachkala, Russia—the capital and largest city in the Republic of Dagestan. He shares a hometown with Muslim Salikhov, former M-1 Global champion Rashid Magomedov and current UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev, among others.

2. Initial impressions were off the charts.

The Gorets Fight Team product holds the Master of Sport designation in combat sambo. Ankalaev made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 21, raced out to an 8-0 start and emerged as one of the top prospects in Europe. Five of his first nine wins resulted in finishes.

3. His star burned bright on the European regional scene.

Ankalaev captured the vacant World Fighting Championship Akhmat light heavyweight title on Oct. 4, 2016, when he put away Maxim Grishin with punches in the fourth round of their WFCA 30 pairing. He went on to retain the title with a first-round knockout of Wagner Prado before signing with the UFC in 2018.

4. He put himself in rarified air.

The 30-year-old Russian finds himself tied with Lyoto Machida for the second-longest winning streak (eight) in the history of the UFC light heavyweight division. Former champion Jon Jones won a record-setting 13 in a row between March 21, 2010 and April 23, 2016.

5. He knows how to pack light.

Ankalaev has fought in seven different countries during his 17-fight career. He has gone 8-0 in his native Russia, 3-0 in the United States, 2-0 in the United Arab Emirates, 1-0 in Ukraine, 1-0 in Serbia, 1-0 in the Czech Republic and 0-1 in England.