Preview: UFC Fight Night 145 ‘Blachowicz vs. Santos’

Light Heavyweights

Magomed Ankalaev (9-1) vs. Klidson Farias de Abreu (14-2)

ODDS: Ankalaev (-240), Farias de Abreu (+180)

Ignoring his problematic ties to Ramzan Kadyrov outside of the cage, Ankalaev was one of the UFC’s better light heavyweight signings in recent memory, and given the thin nature of the division, he figured to rise to contender status in short order. Naturally, his UFC debut against Paul Craig ended in one of the biggest betting upsets of 2018. Ankalaev dominated the fight with his high-level wrestling and ground-and-pound before Craig threw up a miracle triangle choke at the end of the third round, and somehow, Ankalaev decided to tap in the last second of the bout. Still, that looks to have been a bump in the road for Ankalaev, as he recovered with a brutal knockout of Marcin Prachnio in September, reminding everyone why he is a top talent to watch.

Up next for Ankalaev is a late-notice replacement in Farias de Abreu. While “late-notice debuting Brazilian light heavyweight” typically means an athletically overwhelming can crusher, Farias de Abreu actually has a decent resume, with wins over some solid veterans and current hot prospect Johnny Walker. Farias de Abreu’s strength is his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and he knows it, as he hunts for the takedown so he can set up a diverse array of submissions. As far as the striking game goes, the UFC has signed worse. Farias de Abreu is a young 26, so there is still some time to develop, and overall, he is a much better talent than a lot of the anonymous imports the UFC tends to bring into these heavier divisions.

This fight has an interesting dynamic, particularly in light of Ankalaev’s loss to Craig. He is at his best when outwrestling his opponent, but if the Russian pursues that avenue, Farias de Abreu should be a constant submission threat. Even so, Craig’s win does seem like the flukiest of flukes, and even if Farias de Abreu should be more of a threat on paper than Craig, Ankalaev is still likely powerful enough to hold him down and wear him out. Add in that this is a mismatch on the feet, and Ankalaev might not even see the need to get his wrestling game going. There is a good chance of a knockout, but the pick is Ankalaev via decision.

Last Fights » ESPN Plus Prelims