Magomed Ankalaev

Russian mixed martial artist (born 1992)

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Key Takeaways

Magomed Alibulatovich Ankalaev (Russian: Магомед Алибулатович Анкалаев ; born June 2, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist.
As of October 7, 2025, he is #1 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings and as of February 10, 2026, he is #13 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
He is also the winner of 2016 Akhmat FC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Ankalaev first began training in Greco-Roman Wrestling for one year whilst he was a student at the Dagestan State Pedagogical University (DSPU) in Makhachkala, where he graduated in the sport faculty.
Ankalaev was compelled at the idea of transitioning to MMA, because of the similarity between MMA and combat sambo.

Magomed Alibulatovich Ankalaev (Russian: Магомед Алибулатович Анкалаев; born June 2, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. As of October 7, 2025, he is #1 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings and as of February 10, 2026, he is #13 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Ankalaev is the former light heavyweight champion of World Fighting Championship Akhmat. He is also the winner of 2016 Akhmat FC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Early life

Ankalaev was born on 2 June 1992, in Teletl', a village in the Shamilsky District of Dagestan in Russia, into an Avar family.

Ankalaev first began training in Greco-Roman Wrestling for one year whilst he was a student at the Dagestan State Pedagogical University (DSPU) in Makhachkala, where he graduated in the sport faculty. At that time he also competed in combat sambo, where he was honoured with the title of Master of Sports in the discipline.

Ankalaev was compelled at the idea of transitioning to MMA, because of the similarity between MMA and combat sambo. Ankalaev then became the Russian and World champion in amateur MMA. Ankalaev was named the 2015 Mixed Martial Artist of Russia by the Russian MMA federation.