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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Magomed Ankalev settled some unfinished business with Johnny Walker by delivering a vicious second-round knockout to cap off UFC Vegas 84 on Saturday.

After their first encounter ended with a disappointing no contest this past October, Ankalaev waited three months get another shot at Walker — and he certainly made the most of it. Ankalaev put Walker on his back foot throughout the second round before connecting with a devastating right hook that landed flush on the jaw. As soon as Walker hit the canvas, Ankalaev followed up with a brutal uppercut that smashed the Brazilian’s nose and forced referee Marc Goddard to quickly stop the fight.

The end came at 2:42 of the second round.

“I was prepared for this a long time,” Ankalev said following his latest win. “I wanted the rematch right away.

“Everybody who comes out to fight against me tries in the first round to pick a key against me, to figure out how to figure me out, but it’s not something they can do. When I come out here, I am open for the hunt and everybody in front of me is the hunted.”

As Ankalaev mentioned, Walker came out aggressive, throwing a variety of shots looking for an explosive finish, but after a few wild exchanges, he started to settle down. In return, Ankalaev displayed poise and composure in the face of a fiery opening from the Brazilian.

While he avoided Walker’s best strikes, Ankalaev looked to apply his own kicking game, which backfired momentarily after he connected with a low blow that paused the action.

Upon the restart, Ankalaev began marching forward again, but he was resigned to largely following Walker around the cage, picking his shots and just not allowing his opponent to counter him much at all. The plan worked, because Walker looked slightly lost as he continued to circle away while not really throwing much back at Ankalaev.

The Russian didn’t have that same problem because he was measuring every punch until he found the opening to uncork a beautiful right hook that sent Walker crashing to the canvas.

Once Walker was down and clearly stunned, Ankalaev feasted on his prey with a massive uppercut. Walker’s nose exploded from the punch and he covered up to prevent further damage, with Goddard swooping in to rescue him from further harm.

It was the exclamation point that Ankalaev needed after the way the first fight ended. He’s now undefeated in 11 straight fights — including a draw with Jan Blachowicz and the no-contest against Walker — and he has gold on his mind.

“I’m ready to fight for the title,” Ankalaev said. “I have 10 victories in a row, it’s been a long time. I’m worth it. Give me that fight for the title now!”

As of now, former champion Jamahal Hill is expected to face reigning UFC light heavyweight king Alex Pereira next once he’s recovered from a torn Achilles’ tendon, but Ankalaev may have just injected himself into that conversation with this latest win.

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Battle of the record holders
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UFC

Last night (Sat., Jan. 13, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 84. The first event of the new year came in with more of a whimper than a bang, as it was largely standard Apex fare, featuring the usual mix of veterans, Contenders Series newcomers, and just two ranked contenders after Manel Kape’s disastrous weigh-in. That said, the fights were fun, and the UFC drought was finally broken, so it could be a whole lot worse!

Let’s take a look at UFC Vegas 84’s best performances and techniques:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ankalaev Gets The Job Done

Magomed Ankalaev is known for being extremely gifted and having strange issues in fights. A targeted future champion since the inception of his UFC career, Ankalaev has also been forced into unnecessary rematches, handed over a winnable fight to Jan Blachowicz, and been submitted by Paul Craig.

There’s always the chance something odd happens when he fights. Given that’s also true about Johnny Walker, that chance was doubled!

Fortunately for the Russian, it all went according to plan. Walker went bonkers in the first three minutes, throwing about a dozen spinning strikes and trying to take Ankalaev’s head off in the strangest manner possible. So many axe kicks …

Yet, Ankalaev didn’t allow himself to be distracted. He checked more low kicks than normal. He also kicked Walker back in the lead leg, harder than Walker himself managed — a great answer for a historic flaw. As soon as Walker settled down, Ankalaev upped his pressure, rendered Walker defensive, and knocked him out.

It’s the exact type of clean, clear-cut victory Ankalaev needed to get back in the title mix at 205 lbs.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Miller Keeps On Truckin’

Jim Miller got into a scrap and came out victorious once again.

Every part of the veteran’s game was on display against Gabriel Benitez. He stood comfortable in the pocket and traded blows, always answering in combination and mixing body shots into his attack. When Benitez tried to kick his lead leg, Miller kicked his opponent’s leg harder. Miller managed to change the flow of the fight from competitive to dominant with a pair of well-timed takedowns.

As soon as he gained top position, Miller was landing heavy ground strikes and advancing towards the back mount. His rear naked choke finish came in the third as much due to attrition as anything else, because Miller beat Benitez down for most of 15 minutes first.

What other 40 year olds are winning wars of attrition?

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The Best Fight Of The Evening

Ricky Simon vs. Mario Bautista was a whole lot of fun. Simon proved his toughness once again and certainly landed some good shots across 15 minutes, but I have to admit, it was also a Bautista showcase victory. We’ll only be referring to Bautista as an unranked Bantamweight for a couple more days!

Bautista’s kickboxing was really on display. He feinted and shifted stances while pressuring, forcing Simon — the shorter man — into a reactive position. Initially, Simon found a bit of success with his wrestling, but Bautista soon picked up his timing and shut that down. Then, the kickboxing opened up, and Bautista did massive damage with the Southpaw liver kick and some sneaky knees up the middle.

Bautista’s volume was also a major element to his success. He built smart combinations and stayed on Simon, breaking down a cardio machine by hitting him repeatedly to all targets. The victory brings Simon’s win streak to six, and his callout of Rob Font was a wise one.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The Hulk Rebounds

Brunno Ferreira really impressed against Phil Hawes to return to the win column after his first professional loss.

On its own, that’s not a shocking outcome. Ferreira is a really aggressive puncher, and Hawes isn’t known for his durability. What was surprising, however, was that Ferreira fairly consistently landed the better shots en route to the finish, and he also outwrestled the decorated wrestler!

Ferreira’s first defeat clearly invoked some changes in his training and strategy. He was less absurdly aggressive on the feet — though still very active! — and was clearly more interested in relying on his Judo background. Subsequently, he was able to make a good read on Hawes’ head movement, which is how he connected on the jump knee that began the finishing sequence.

A great and brutal rebound performance for “The Hulk.”

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Yet Another Bantamweight To Watch

Marcus McGhee picked up his third straight UFC win — all via stoppage — over Gaston Bolanos in very impressive fashion. I understand that there’s a seemingly endless amount of unranked Bantamweight talent, but it might be time to give the 33 year old a push up the ladder while he’s at his peak.

Bolanos is a longtime professional kickboxer, whereas McGhee is a knockout artist who can wrestle well too. Had McGhee outwrestled Bolanos, it would’ve been a good win but not a head-turner. Instead, “The Maniac” scored a couple takedowns, but mostly he cracked the sharp kickboxer with repeated right hands! When he finally dropped him in the second, McGhee followed up with accurate and powerful connections, including a spinning kick.

McGhee has stopped all nine of his opponents. He’s a training partner of Sean O’Malley. The man is skilled, and I’m excited to watch him fight up the ranks.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Additional Thoughts

• Jean Silva defeats Weston Wilson via first-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Yeah, this was a mismatch. Wilson is fairly known to be less-than-UFC caliber, and Silva wasted no time in taking advantage. He got inside the taller man’s reach almost immediately, teeing off en route to the stoppage.
• Nikolas Motta defeats Tom Nolan via first-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): This one only lasted about a minute! Motta entered having suffered some tough losses recently, whereas Nolan was riding a wave of momentum into his UFC debut … didn’t matter! Motta stood his ground and fired hard from the first bell, and he connected first to send his foe to the floor and return to the win column in style.
• Joshua Van defeats Felipe Brunes via second-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Van is one of the better unranked Flyweight prospects on the roster, and he picked up his third Octagon victory in impressive fashion. Early on, however, it was Brunes who set the tone with sharp kickboxing and some effective wrestling. Van’s great strength is his volume and body work, and that combination proved fruitful in breaking Brunes’ momentum and turning the tide. Before long, Brunes hit the floor, and heavy ground strikes sealed the deal.

For complete UFC Vegas 84: “Walker vs. Ankalaev 2” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Magomed Ankalaev wanted to make a case to get a title shot against Alex Pereira heading into his UFC Vegas 84 main event bout with Johnny Walker, and with a brutal second-round knockout victory, Ankalaev certainly accomplished that. But will it be enough to get Ankalaev to a second opportunity at UFC gold, or will he have more work to do?

Following the UFC’s first event of 2024, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and Eric Jackman react to Ankalaev’s stoppage win, and talk his chances in getting the next shot at Pereira and the light heavyweight title. Additionally, the panel discusses Jim Miller’s incredible performance in the co-main event, his callout of Paul Felder or Matt Brown for UFC 300, Mario Bautista’s statement win against Ricky Simon, Jean Silva’s memorable UFC debut, and other standout moments.

Catch the UFC Vegas 84 post-fight show above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Magomed Ankalaev may have earned himself another shot at UFC gold following his brutal second-round knockout of Johnny Walker on Saturday night.

After their UFC 294 clash came to a confusing and disappointing end, Ankalaev and Walker kicked off the promotion’s 2024 with a five-round headliner at UFC Vegas 84. Walker came out fast and furious in the opening round, but it didn’t take long for Ankalaev to slow the pace and begin chipping away at his opponent.

As Walker attempted to move in during the second round, Ankalaev uncorked a nasty right hook that sent Walker crashing to the canvas. Ankalaev quickly moved in and landed an absolutely vicious follow-up shot that was enough for the referee to jump in and save Walker from absorbing any further damage.

Following the victory, Magomed Ankalaev called for a light heavyweight title opportunity against the division’s reigning champion, Alex Pereira. That prompted a response from Pereira’s friend and coach, Glover Teixeira.

“Great knockout,” Teixeira wrote on X. “We will see u soon. #UFCFightNight”

UFC Fighters React to Magomed Ankalaev’s Impressive Performance

Teixeira wasn’t the only one who offered their immediate reaction to Magomed Ankalaev’s highlight-reel-worthy win in Las Vegas.

LowKickMMA.com

UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between third ranked Magomed Ankalaev and seventh ranked Johnny Walker.  

UFC Vegas 84 Post-Fight Press Conference

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