The UFC is stacking up its upcoming events for next year with some amazing fights. One of them is an exciting light heavyweight bout that will take place in the first quarter of 2021.

The Brazilian fighter, Thiago Santos, will be back in action and will take on the Russian Magomed Ankalaev. This bout is set to headline the event on 12th March. However, the place and venue are yet to be announced.

ESPN was first to report the news and posted it on their official Twitter handle. With the caption, “Alright Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) has looked like the real deal as of late. We’ll know for sure after this one. Ankalaev vs. Thiago Santos (@TMarretaMMA) is in the works to headline a UFC Fight Night on March 12, per sources.”

‘Marreta’ after a three-fight skid has found his way back to the win column by defeating Johnny Walker in October. Hence, he will look to stay in green with a win over the Russian light heavyweight.

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Meanwhile, Ankalaev has only one loss in the UFC and is fresh from his recent win at UFC 267. He is currently on a seven-fight win streak and will look to extend it with a win in this bout.

Both the light heavyweight combatants are amongst the top-10 in the division, Santos being #5 while Ankalaev is #6. Hence, it is an important fight for both the men and a win in this fight will surely fast track their journey to the light heavyweight gold.

Thiago Santos vs Magomed Ankalaev–Preview

The Brazilian Thiago Santos has an amazing professional record of 22-9 under his name. He is a knockout artist with fifteen knockout wins and three submission wins under his name.

Meanwhile, Magomed Ankalaev with only one loss is 16-1  in his professional fighting career. He has nine knockout wins under his name. He has four knockout wins in the UFC, from which three came in the first round of the fight.

Anakalaev has been unstoppable in the promotion since his debut loss. Even though ‘Marreta’ has some good knockout wins under his name, the Russian has a very strong chin as is yet to be knocked out in the UFC. Hence, it won’t be a walk in the park for Santos to face the Russian-born.

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Also, Santos is going through a rough phase currently and has only one win in his previous four-fight since 2019. Ankalaev has found moment quick in the fights and also has taken the bout to distance to secure a decision win. Hence, the former title challenger might face one of the toughest opponents of his UFC career in Ankalaev.

What are your thoughts about this fight? Let us know in the comments below.