Is Magomed Ankalaev next in line to face Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title? That's what the question is following his victory over Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308.
The first round saw plenty of leg kick trading, with Rakić using his attacks to pile on damage to Ankalaev's lower body. The Russian, however, slowly found success with the left hand, and that extended into the second round. In another close round, Ankalaev's left hand proved to be a powerful weapon, with "Rocket" seemingly troubled by its attack toward his body.
Ankalaev continued to find success, while Rakić sought for a takedown in the third round and hoped to play things safe -- after his corner controversially told him he was up two rounds.
The Austrian's team may have been shocked (unlike plenty of others) then to find out the judges all gave 29-28 nods to Ankalaev.
Magomed Ankalev Gets Decision Win At UFC 308, Tells Alex Pereira To 'Stop Running'
The top contender is unbeaten since dropping his UFC debut in 2018. He came into this fight off a brutal knockout of Johnny Walker in January.
Rakić, meanwhile, has now lost three straight, which also includes a TKO loss to former champion Jiří Procházka at UFC 300.