Surging light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev (14-1, 9 KOs) will meet Ukraine’s Nikita Krylov (27-7, 11 KOs, 15 SUBs) at at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card streams live on ESPN+ starting 8pm ET. In the headliner, No. 3 Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-1, 10 KOs) will meet undefeated prospect Cyril Gane (7-0, 3 KOs, 3 SUBs) in a high-stakes divisional matchup. Let’s take a closer look at the Ankalaev vs. Krylov odds and break down your best UFC betting picks in the online sportsbook.
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The Stakes
It’s time to find out if Magomed Ankalaev is a top 10 guy. The Dagestani fighter currently sits at No. 11 in the rankings, and he’ll look to usurp the No. 8 spot held by his opponent Nikita Krylov. There’s a lot to like about this matchup: both men are not yet 30, which is young by light heavyweight standards, and each has the potential to climb higher as many divisional stalwarts age out. They’re a little too experienced to be considered prospects, but not quite yet established light heavyweights. A big co-main event win could do a lot for either.
Magomed Ankalaev (14-1, 9 KOs)
Were it not for a miracle last second submission, Ankalaev would be 6-0 inside the UFC. While he has yet to face a ranked fighter, the Russian has been dominant against midcard fighters like Klidson Abreu, Marcin Prachnio and Ion Cutelaba - with four of his five UFC wins coming by way of knockout. It’s hard not to get excited about what we’ve seen so far, plus we all know how Dagestan produces championship caliber dudes. After knocking out Ion Cutelaba in consecutive fights, Ankalaev levels up against a well-rounded opponent in Krylov.
Ankalaev is a powerful striker and an excellent wrestler, but his best ability might be how he dictates the pace of the fights. Much like an NFL team that controls time of possession with a power running game, the 28-year old is not fazed whether an opponent pressures or fights defensively. Then, without warning, he’ll crank everything up a few levels and finds a way to finish. It’s both methodical and lethal, and it’s why Ankalaev has so much hype.
Nikita Krylov (27-7, 11 KOs, 15 SUBs)
Krylov has come a long way since debuting as an out-of-shape heavyweight. After gassing out in just minutes and lumbering through an unwatchable fight against Soa Palelei, Krylov took the initiative to get into shape and made the move down to light heavyweight. At his natural weight, Krylov has put together five- and four-fight winning streaks - the first coming in the UFC and the latter coming in Europe before returning to the octagon. Though he’s just 2-2 in his past 4, the losses came against now-champion Jan Blachowicz and top contender Glover Teixeira.
It’s hard not to like how aggressive Krylov is - he rarely ever sees the scorecards. At heavyweight, he had the power to knock out Walt Harris, he retains that ability at a lower weight. He’s even more dangerous in the grappling game, with an ability to nab opportunistic submissions.
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Ankalaev 3.58 / Krylov 4.54
Striking accuracy: Ankalaev 56% / Krylov 59%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Ankalaev 1.36 / Krylov 2.45
Striking defense: Ankalaev 68% / Krylov 41%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Ankalaev 0.62 / Krylov 1.40
Takedown accuracy: Ankalaev 33% / Krylov 38%
Takedown defense: Ankalaev 85% / Krylov 52%
Submissions per 15 minutes: Ankalaev 0.0 / Krylov 1.6
UFC Picks
The UFC odds opened with Ankalaev as a -332 favorite, with Krylov at +250 on the comeback. While it’s a hefty price on Ankalaev, it makes sense as he holds pretty much every advantage here. Ankalaev showed against Cutelaba that he could handle the type of wild fights that Krylov is known for, and his wrestling is too good to be forced into grappling. You might want to look elsewhere fo odds to take advantage of, unless you use this as a parlay booster.
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane Card & Odds
Heavyweight - Jairzinho Rozenstruik +211 vs. Ciryl Gane -260
Light Heavyweight - Nikita Krylov +280 vs. Magomed Ankalaev -356
Light Heavyweight - Alonzo Menifield -112 vs. William Knight -112
Lightweight - Thiago Moisés +162 vs. Alexander Hernandez -196
Women's Bantamweight - Alexis Davis +170 vs. Sabina Mazo -260
Light Heavyweight - Maxim Grishin +154 vs. Dustin Jacoby -186
Featherweight - Kevin Croom +170 vs. Alex Caceres -206
Women's Flyweight - Montana De La Rosa +118 vs. Mayra Bueno Silva -142
Bantamweight - Vince Cachero +134 vs. Ronnie Lawrence -162
Bantamweight - Pedro Munhoz +125 vs. Jimmie Rivera -150
Women's Strawweight - Ashley Yoder +287 vs. Angela Hill -366
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