ABU DHABI – Magomed Ankalaev has been on the cusp of greatness in the UFC, and the road back, he’s finding, sometimes has unexpected bumps.
There haven’t been bumps for Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) that involve losses. Saturday, he outworked Aleksandar Rakic (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) at UFC 308 and stayed on track at light heavyweight.
It’s been nearly two years since Ankalaev fought Jan Blachowicz for the then-vacant light heavyweight title. They fought to a draw, and the belt stayed without an owner. Ankalaev fought Johnny Walker 10 months after that and had to deal with a no contest.
