A scrap between two ranked light heavyweights has been scheduled for February 27 when Nikita Krylov faces Magomed Ankalaev.
As reported by ESPN, a second major light heavyweight fight has been added to the February 27 Fight Night when #8 Nikita Krylov takes on #11 Magomed Ankalaev. This card will be headlined by fellow lightweights Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka.
Nikita Krylov has gone 2-2 since returning to the UFC in 2018 but still occupies a top 10 ranking after wins over Ovince St. Preux and, most recently, Johnny Walker in March. Krylov’s post-return record may only be a .500 winning percentage, but his only losses came to the men currently at the very top of the light heavyweight rankings: champion Jan Blachowicz and the #1-ranked Glover Teixeira. But if Krylov wants to keep it that way and add more wins to his record instead, he will have a tall task ahead of him in Magomed Ankalaev.
Magomed Ankalaev has been one of the most dominant light heavyweights in the UFC since his 2018 debut, suffering only one loss in what some considered to be a miraculous victory for Paul Craig, who literally pulled out a last-second victory over Ankalaev after having lost every minute of the fight prior to the finish. With the exception of this loss, Ankalaev has been flawless, with five straight victories.
One of those victories was extremely controversial, with the referee awarding Ankalaev a TKO finish over Ion Cutelaba while Cutelaba appeared to be very much alert and aware of what he was doing. But in his most recent contest, Ankalaev left no doubt who the better man was when he defeated Cutelaba by 1st-round KO. Ankalaev will now look to make it six straight and crack the light heavyweight’s top 10 in the process.
With the addition of this light heavyweight battle, the current lineup for the February 27 Fight Night consists of the following bouts:
Dominick Reyes vs. Jiri Prochazka
Raphael Assuncao vs. Raoni Barcelos
Nikita Krylov vs. Magomed Ankalaev
Alex Oliveira vs. Randy Brown
William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield
Emily Whitmire vs. Hannah Cifers
Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom
Alexis Davis vs. Sabina Mazo
What is your prediction for this light heavyweight scrap between Nikita Krylov and Magomed Ankalaev?
