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#4 Magomed Ankalaev
One of a seemingly never-ending list of dangerous fighters to be produced from Dagestan, Russia, Magomed Ankalaev has been considered a fighter to watch inside the UFC for the best part of 2 years now, but 2020 could be the year in which the Light-Heavyweight really climbs the ladder into title contention.
Like his countryman Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ankalaev is a fantastic wrestler and grappler, and it’s that side of the game we saw him use to great effect in his February win over Klidson Abreu, a fight that was admittedly not the most inspiring to watch. Things changed greatly, however, when Ankalaev faced Dalcha Lungiambula in November.
That fight saw the Dagestani use his kicks to pick Lungiambula apart in the early going, then use his wrestling and ground-and-pound to punish the South African, and finally he put the icing on the cake by uncorking one of the best KOs of 2019 – a beautiful front kick to the jaw – to put his opponent away in the third round.
With a phenomenal grappling game and powerful – and technically improving – striking, Ankalaev might be the best prospect in the entire Light-Heavyweight division now that Dominick Reyes is a genuine contender and Aleksandar Rakic has lost his undefeated record. Expect him to be in firm title contention by the end of 2020.
