Magomed Ankalaev Unhappy with Performance vs. Thiago Santos, Still Wants Title Shot Next

While Magomed Ankalaev won his eighth consecutive light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 203, it wasn’t the type of performance that will raise his stock in the eyes of promotion officials.

Ankalaev took an uneventful unanimous decision win over Thiago Santos on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas in a clash where both competitors were largely hesitant to pull the trigger. Ankalaev was dropped in by Santos in the second round, but for the most part, the Dagestani dictated the terms in the fight. In the aftermath, Ankalaev admitted that it wasn’t his best showing, but he put some of the blame on his opponent for the overall lack of action.

“I am happy that I won,” Ankalaev said at the UFC Fight Night 203 post-fight press conference. “To be honest, it is what it is. We expected him to move forward for the whole fight and to catch him on his mistakes, but he preferred to move backwards. That’s why I preferred to strike with him.

“To be honest, I’m not glad with my performance totally, because I expected him to make an entertaining fight, to strike more, but it is what it is.”

Saturday marked Ankalaev’s first headlining bout within the Las Vegas-based promotion, and while it is unlikely to propel him to a new level of stardom, the Gorets Fight Team member did find some positives in his performance, namely fighting for a full 25 minutes.

“My goal was to fight the whole distance, to fight five rounds, and test myself to see if I’m ready for the title shot,” Ankalaev said. “Now I’m completely confident in myself and I’m ready for a big shot.”

It’s undeniable that Ankalaev is one of the top contenders in a notoriously shallow light heavyweight division. He’s won 16 of 17 professional bouts overall and his UFC resume includes triumphs over the likes of Santos, Volkan Oezdemir, Nikita Krylov and Ion Cutelaba (twice). Current light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira is slated to defend his belt against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275 at on June 11. Ankalaev is hopeful that he can be next in line to face the winner of that bout.

“It’s completely up to the UFC and my manager, but in my opinion, I deserve the title shot next because I’m on an eight-fight winning streak and some of the fights I finish the guys,” Ankalaev said. “I’m ready.”