Ankalaev's path to the title was nonsense. He went to a draw with Jan Blachowicz in a fight where he legs were destroyed. The he no contests chinny Johnny Walker before he beats him then sneaks out the most boring decision over Aleksandar Rakic (who by the way has been knocked out in 3 of his last 4 fights) and then he goes 0 for 12 in takedowns against alex before ultimately being knocked out and losing the belt. I only mention this because here he is again with a cupcake deal. He is getting Bogdan Guskov on 2 weeks notice and if he wins this fight, he will end up in a title fight and then we pretend he's good.

The reality is that Ankalaev isn't that guy. Yes he's a giant Dagastani, but he isn't nearly as dominant as the rest of them. He barely wrestles and when he does he is only getting takedowns at 22% clip. His striking is good and he does a great job staying on the outside, but he not dangerous at this level. Now unfortunately for the Ankalaev haters, he should win here. He is the more technically sound striker of the two and while Guskov will be head hunting, Ankalaev will manage the range, avoid the power and land in numbers. So Ankalaev is going to be the pick and I know a ton of you will say he's chinny because Alex caught him and then bet Guskov by KO – don't do it. I don't think he's chinny, I believe them when they say he was sick in that fight and Guskov certainly isn't Alex Pereira.

Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev is a long kickboxer who uses range well and has devastating kicks. He has power in both of his hands and his feet. He is very versatile in his attack style, has solid striking defense but can be low volume. If he gets in trouble striking he does have a wrestling backup even if he doesn't quite live up to the Dagastani wrestling standards. He is coming off the KO loss to Alex Pereira in his first title defense.

Bogdan Guskov

Bogdan Guskov is a heavy handed guy who likes to come forward, throws big and mixes things up. When he's striking he can be fast and does have some very real power. He keeps his hands low but has decent footwork and nice combinations. If he doesnt get the early KO or have enough success striking, he will work you to the cage and get a takedown. On top he has patience and control. He is coming off the draw with Jan Blachowcz where he lost 2 rounds but had a monster second round to get him a 10-8