Magomed Ankalaev is heavily favored against Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 203 on Saturday, March 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event is one of 14 fights on ESPN+. Santos is 22-9 in his career, while Ankalaev is 16-1 in his career. There are a total of 14 fights, all on ESPN+ at UFC Fight Night 203. Let’s look at the bout between Santos and Ankalaev and UFC predictions.
UFC Fight Night 203 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 12 with 14 fights, all on ESPN+.
UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev Betting
Thiago Santos (22-9, 14-8 UFC)
Santos came into the UFC with a record of 8-1 and he has 14 wins and eight losses in the UFC. In his last six fights, he has three wins and three losses. He defeated Jimi Manuwa by KO, Jan Blachowicz by TKO, and Johnny Walker by unanimous decision; while losing to Jon Jones by split decision, Glover Teixeira by rear-naked choke submission, and Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous decision. Santos has been a pro since 2010 and he has 15 wins by TKO/KO and one by submission. He has eight first round finishes.
Santos said this to sherdog.com about his upcoming fight against Ankalaev, “Magomed Ankalaev is below me on the rankings, but he’s on a great winning streak. He’s a very good fighter. I think it’s going to be an excellent fight, which will reveal who the next belt challenger should be. Although, I do feel I’d still need one more win after this fight. We never really know. These types of opportunities can show up unexpectedly. We have to stay ready. My focus right now is on having a good victory against Ankalaev. And then we’ll see what’s next.”
Magomed Ankalaev (16-1, 7-1 UFC)
Ankalaev came into the UFC with a record of 9-0 and he has seven wins and one loss in the UFC. He defeated Marcin Prachnio by KO, Klidson Abreu by unanimous decision, Dalcha Lungiambula by KO, twice against Ion Cutelaba by TKO, Nikita Krylov by unanimous decision, and Volkan Oezdemir by unanimous decision; while losing to Paul Craig by triangle choke submission. Ankalaev has been a pro since 2014 and he has nine wins by TKO/KO and seven by decision. He has seven first round finishes.
Ankalaev said this to ufc.com about his upcoming fight against Santos, “Thiago is a great, tough opponent, but this is just another step towards the belt for me, with all due respect.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Santos 3.95 / Ankalaev 3.60
Striking Accuracy: Santos 48% / Ankalaev 55%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Santos 2.28 / Ankalaev 2.05
Defense: Santos 56% / Ankalaev 62%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Santos 0.61 / Ankalaev 1.15
Takedown Accuracy: Santos 36% / Ankalaev 31%
Takedowns defended: Santos 66% / Ankalaev 85%
Submission average: Santos 0.1 / Ankalaev 0.0
UFC Picks
Has Santos really fallen so far as to be a huge underdog against a fighter in Ankalaev who has yet to face the best in his division? It was just three years ago that Santos fought Jon Jones for the title and he nearly beat Jones. Santos did lose his following two fights, but I don’t think there is any shame in losing to Glover Teixeira and Alexsandar Rakic. Santos didn’t look great against Johnny Walker last time out, but he still got the unanimous decision win. I know that Ankalaev has done nothing wrong and has won his last seven bouts, but his level of competition hasn’t been that great. There is no way I would lay this type of price on Ankalaev and I think there is some value on Santos at the big price. I also think the rounds are worth playing, as I see this fight being a battle throughout with neither fighter getting the finish. I will go over the rounds total in this bout.
| DATE | FIGHTERS | MONEY LINE |
| 3/12 | Thiago Santos | +379 |
| Magomed Ankalaev | -550 |
| 3/12 | Marlon Moraes | +194 |
| Yadong Song | -250 |
| 3/12 | Alex Caceres | +183 |
| Sodiq Yusuff | -235 |
| 3/12 | Karl Roberson | -135 |
| Khalil Rountree | +105 |
| 3/12 | Bruno Silva | +143 |
| Alex Pereira | -180 |
| 3/12 | AJ Fletcher | +186 |
| Matthew Semelsberger | -240 |
| 3/12 | J J Aldrich | -105 |
| Gillian Robertson | -125 |
| 3/12 | Trevin Jones | +115 |
| Javid Basharat | -145 |
| 3/12 | Kamuela Kirk | -105 |
| Damon Jackson | -125 |
| 3/12 | Sabina Mazo | +248 |
| Miranda Maverick | -330 |
| 3/12 | Cody Brundage | -105 |
| Dalcha Lungiambula | -125 |
| 3/12 | Kris Moutinho | -145 |
| Guido Cannetti | +115 |
| 3/12 | Azamat Murzakanov | -185 |
| Tafon Nchukwi | +146 |
| 3/12 | Terrance McKinney | +146 |
| Drew Dober | -185 |
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