Magomed Ankalaev was able to outstrike Aleksander Rakic over the course of three rounds at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi to earn a unanimous decision victory.
Round One:
Jab for Ankalaev. Low kick from Rakic. Head kick attempt from Rakic is blocked. He throws it again.
Inside leg kick for Rakic. Rakic looking to catch a kick from Ankalaev and then lands another of his own.
Solid body kick from Ankalaev. Calf kick for Rakic and low kick in response from Ankalaev. Ankalaev ducks under a punch and lands one of his own.
Ankalaev checks a kick and tried to counter of it, but misses. Inside leg kick from Rakic. Solid head kick attempt from Rakic that’s blocked.
Good left hand from Ankalaev. Body kick for him now and makes Rakic miss a leg kick afterwards. Calf kick for Rakic. Rakic circling the cage and then darts in with a punch that misses.
Head kick attempt again from Rakic. Inside leg kick for him. Body kick for Anakalaev partially gets through.
Body punch from Ankalaev but Rakic lands a jab. Another head kick from Rakic is blocked. Front kick upstairs from Ankalaev misses late in the round.
Round Two:
Oblique kick from Ankalaev. Low kick for Rakic. Brief exchange at close quarters and Ankalaev managed to land a sneaky elbow in there.
Ankalaev just misses with a head kick. Right hand from Rakic. Calf kick for Rakic. Another right hand threatens from him. Now a right hand from Ankalaev.
Front kick to the body from Ankalaev. Nicely timed body punch from Ankalaev. Now a calf kick. Rakic returns with a calf kick of his own.
Big left hand from Ankalaev but Rakic takes it. Now a head kick attempt from Ankalaev. Heavy body kick from Ankalaev as he steps up his intensity.
Calf kick for Rakic. Now to the inside of the calf a couple of times. Ankalaev pressures and steps into a couple of punches that don’t find the mark. They clinch up and it’s Ankalaev who wins the battle for position against the cage. They break up soon after though.
Nice punch for Ankalaev upstairs. Now he lands to the body. Rakic just missing with a few hard punches. He goes back to the calf kicks.
Head kick attempt from Rakic but Ankalaev still blocking those well for now.
Round Three:
Nice straight right for Rakic to start the round. He misses on another though and Ankalaev lands a punch in return.
Ankalaev steps into a left hand that lands clean. Body kick for Rakic. Calf kick for him. Left hand for Ankalaev.
Body kick from Ankalaev. Rakic comes up short on a head kick attempt. Good left hand for Ankalaev. Low kick for Rakic.
Body punch from Rakic and just avoids a counter. Good straight left for Ankalaev. He lands it again. Rakic circles.
Now Rakic is trying for his first takedown attempt, but Ankalaev defends it and gets over to the cage. Ankalaev continuing to defend this well here with less than two minutes to go.
Now Ankalaev reverse the position. He lands a couple of knees to the thigh. Rakic reverses now. Ankalaev returns the favor as they continue to jockey for position in the final minute of the fight. A few more knees to the legs from Ankalaev. Now a few more aggressive strikes from him. A final couple of knees to the body and a left hook over the top from Ankalaev at the end of the fight.
Decision:
There wasn’t too much to choose between the two in the opening round, but from then on Ankalaev was the one continually pressing forward and landing the better strikes, leading im to a unanimmous decision victory (29-28 x3).
