Magomed Ankalaev is favored against Johnny Walker at UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 on Saturday, January 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event is one of 12 fights on ESPN+. Ankalaev is 17-1-1 in his career, while Walker is 21-7 in his career. There are a total of 12 fights, all on ESPN+ at UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2. Let’s look at the bout between Ankalaev and Walker and UFC predictions.
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, January 13 with 12 fights, all on ESPN+.
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker II Betting
Magomed Ankalaev (17-1-1, 9-1-1 UFC)
Ankalaev came into the UFC with a record of 8-0 and he has nine wins, one loss, and one draw in the UFC. In his last six fights, he has five wins, no losses, and one draw. He defeated Ion Cu?elaba by KO, Nikita Krylov by unanimous decision, Volkan Oezdemir by unanimous decision, Thiago Santos by unanimous decision, and Anthony Smith by TKO; while fighting to a draw against Jan Blachowicz. Ankalaev’s only loss in his career was against Paul Craig by triangle choke submission in March of 2018. Ankalaev has been a pro since 2014 and he has nine wins by TKO/KO and eight by decision. He has six first round finishes.
Johnny Walker (21-7, 7-4 UFC)
Walker came into the UFC with a record of 14-3 and he has seven wins and four losses in the UFC. In his last six fights, he has four wins and two losses. He defeated Ryan Spann by KO, Ion Cu?elaba by rear-naked choke submission, Paul Craig by TKO, and Anthony Smith by unanimous decision; while losing to Thiago Santos by unanimous decision and Jamahal Hill by KO. Walker has been a pro since 2013 and he has 16 wins by TKO/KO and three by submission. He has 17 first round finishes.
Walker said this to mmajunkie.usatoday.com about his upcoming fight against Ankalaev, “One hundred percent. I have some business to deal with (Ankalaev) because the last fight was not the way I expected it to be. I felt him already. I felt everything. I know his power and I have some very big surprises for him. I can’t wait to put my hands on him and make him pay. It’s going to be like a little revenge because he landed a bad, illegal knee in Abu Dhabi. He has control of the fight. He knows what he was doing. You can never land an unintentional knee. Your knee doesn’t go in somebody’s face unintentionally, so I’m going to get him. I’m going to get my revenge.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Ankalaev 3.56 /Walker 3.87
Striking Accuracy: Ankalaev 52% /Walker 56%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Ankalaev 2.20/Walker 2.64
Defense: Ankalaev 58% /Walker 45%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Ankalaev 1.07/Walker 0.50
Takedown Accuracy: Ankalaev 31%/Walker 100%
Takedowns defended: Ankalaev 86%/Walker 57%
Submission average: Ankalaev 0.0/Walker 1.0
UFC Picks
There is no question that Ankalaev deserve a lot of respect, as he is unbeaten in his last 11 UFC fights. Strangely enough, he doesn’t have a win since the summer of 2022, as he fought to a draw against Jan Blachowicz last December and then he had the no contest against Walker in October. Ankalaev was in clear control of the fight in October when he landed an illegal knee to the face of Walker.
The UFC odds on this fight have Ankalaev listed as more than a 5-1 favorite. I don’t lay that type of price on anyone, but there is no doubt that Ankalaev is the better fighter. The rounds are listed at 1.5 for this fight and based on Walker wanting revenge and likely going right at Ankalaev from the start, there is a good chance we get a quick finish. I prefer to go under 2.5 rounds and lay a little money, but if the only choice is 1.5 rounds, then I’ll still take that number at +112.
| DATE |
FIGHTERS |
MONEY LINE |
| 01/13 |
Johnny Walker |
+365 |
| Magomed Ankalaev |
-525 |
| 01/13 |
Matheus Nicolau |
+204 |
| Manel Kape |
-265 |
| 01/13 |
Jim Miller |
-130 |
| Gabriel Benítez |
+100 |
| 01/13 |
Mario Bautista |
+146 |
| Ricky Simón |
-185 |
| 01/13 |
Brunno Ferreira |
-136 |
| Phil Hawes |
+106 |
| 01/13 |
Andrei Arlovski |
+456 |
| Waldo Cortes-Acosta |
-700 |
| 01/13 |
Gaston Bolanos |
+207 |
| Marcus McGhee |
-270 |
| 01/13 |
Taylor Lapilus |
+238 |
| Farid Basharat |
-315 |
| 01/13 |
Nikolas Motta |
+261 |
| Tom Nolan |
-350 |
| 01/13 |
Westin Wilson |
+566 |
| Jean Silva |
-950 |
| 01/13 |
Preston Parsons |
+110 |
| Matt Semelsberger |
-140 |
| 01/13 |
Felipe Bunes |
+183 |
| Joshua Van |
-235 |
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props, and money lines are all available so start betting with BookMaker today.
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
