UFC Prague’s main card kicked off with a very good performance by Russian prospect Magomed Ankalaev, who utilized ground-and-pound and skilled striking to beat Klidson Abreu.
Magomed Ankalaev is a very promising Dagestani prospect in the light heavyweight division. The sambo practitioner was 10-0 with five knockouts upon entering the UFC. He faced Paul Craig in his promotional debut and dominated the fight until tapping out to a triangle choke with just one second left in the contest. Ankalaev bounced back with a first-round head kick knockout that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus in September.
Klidson Abreu will be filling in for Darko Stosic today after the latter pulled out of the fight in late January. Farias is a former Brave CF light heavyweight champion who comes into his UFC debut with a 14-2 record and has submitted his last five opponents. He also has a victory over current fan-favorite Johnny Walker in his career.
Leg kicks marked the start of the contest before Magomed Ankalaev pushed Klidson Abreu toward the fence. Abreu got aggressive going for a trip takedown and paid for it by eating a hard left hand. As the moved back towards the center of the Octagon, Abreu stung Ankalaev with a hook that wobbled him briefly. Ankalaev landed an uppercut that dropped Abreu, but the Brazilian popped up quickly and shot for a takedown. Abreu ended up pulling guard in the scramble, and Ankalaev passed to half guard. Ankalaev battered Abreu with ground-and-pound as Abreu simply held his position on bottom. The round ended with Abreu bloodied up.
The second round started conservatively with Abreu committing to leg kicks. Ankalaev then caught him on the way in with an uppercut. Exchanges were not as constant in this round as they were in the first, as Ankalaev stayed away from his wrestling. With about two minutes left Abreu shot deep for a double-leg, leading the fight to the fence. Ankalaev reversed position and resisted a takedown attempt from Abreu by ending up in top position. The second round ended the same way as the first, with an extended period of Ankalaev ground-and-pound.
Ankalaev got back to work in the third, catching a kick and knocking down Abreu with a right hand. Ankalaev landed some ground-and-pound, but not enough before Abreu got back to his feet. Ankalaev kept the pressure on Abreu both with the clinch and constant work on the feet. The bout came to an end after a back-and-forth exchange along the fence as time expired.
Magomed Ankalaev def. Klidson Abreu by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
