UFC Prague: Santos, Ankalaev among light heavyweights to watch in 2019

E. Spencer Kyte

UFC Prague: Santos, Ankalaev among light heavyweights to watch in 2019 image

Although it is never going to be as deep and flush with talent as the lightweight or welterweight divisions, the UFC light heavyweight ranks are in the midst of a comeback, with new names entering into the title picture and others beginning to make progress up the divisional ladder.

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As promised earlier in the week, here is a look at several ascending talents in the 205-pound ranks who could be key pieces in the division’s resurgence this year and beyond.

Thiago Santos

After 15 appearances in the UFC at middleweight, “Marreta” moved up to light heavyweight for his final two fights of 2018, registering a stoppage victory over Eryk Anders in September before beating British stalwart Jimi Manuwa in one of the most entertaining fights that lasted less than six minutes you’re ever going to see at UFC 231 just 11 weeks later.

Experienced and explosive, the 35-year-old Brazilian has the opportunity to follow the same path blazed by Anthony Smith, whom he defeated at the start of 2018, as he squares off with surging Polish contender Jan Blachowicz in the main event of this weekend’s UFC debut in Prague.

Should Santos take out Blachowicz and push his winning streak to three, the aggressive Brazilian will establish himself as a Top 5 talent in the light heavyweight division and sit no more than two quality wins away from challenging for the title.

Magomed Ankalaev

Ankalaev hasn’t drawn as much attention as some of the other up-and-coming threats featured on this list, but the 26-year-old was one second away from securing a lopsided decision win in his debut before getting caught in a triangle choke by Paul Craig.

Had that bout not ended the way it did, it feels like more people would be primed to pay closer attention to the 10-1 upstart.

Ankalaev responded to his first career loss by running through Marcin Prachnio in September, showcasing more of his striking game while securing a first-round stoppage victory. He earned quality wins on the regional circuit during his rise to the UFC and has looked quite impressive in his first two Octagon appearances, last-second loss aside.

With the kind of impressive grappling and sound all-around skill set that has become the trademark of emerging talents from the Northern Caucasus region, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Ankalaev strings together several wins and takes up permanent residency in the Top 15 this year.

Klidson Farias

If Ankalaev makes this list, so too should the man he’s facing this weekend in Prague.

Tabbed to replace the injured Darko Stosic (more on him later), Farias gets a chance to make an instant impression in the UFC by taking out a fellow potential new threat in the light heavyweight division, something he’s already done earlier in his career.

The 26-year-old is one of the three men to defeat current light heavyweight lightning rod Johnny Walker, beating his charismatic countryman by submission a little over three years ago. While it’s easy to acknowledge Walker has improved since then, it’s also safe to assume that Farias has as well, as he enters his debut on Saturday in the midst of a six-fight winning streak.

There are more high profile pairings on this weekend’s fight card, but few carry as much future weight as this clash between potential light heavyweight contenders.

Johnny Walker

Walker has burst onto the scene like a supernova, earning first-round stoppage wins over Khalil Rountree and Justin Ledet while endearing himself to fans the world over with his pre-fight and post-fight dance moves, wide smile and overall likeability.

Right now, he’s the latest 'How Awesome is This Guy!?' fighter in the UFC and he’s taking full advantage, jumping at the opportunity to replace Ovince Saint Preux against Misha Cirkunov next week at UFC 235.

The upside and potential with Walker are obvious — he has tremendous size, speed and striking skills for the division, is brimming with confidence and has thus far earned top marks in terms of the way he’s handled things both inside and outside of the cage through his first two Octagon appearances.

Stepping in with Cirkunov, who is only a couple years removed from being considered one to watch in the division and could still reclaim a place on that list, will be an excellent opportunity to get a further read on where Walker fits in the division.

If he picks up another highlight reel finish against the Latvian-Canadian submission specialist next weekend, be prepared for the Johnny Walker hype train to reach runaway status.

Dominick Reyes

Because it has been a few months since he competed and there have been others (read: Walker) who have jumped into the spotlight, it feels like the excitement surrounding Reyes has cooled a little and that’s crazy because of the fighters on this list, he’s arguably the closest to challenging for the title at the moment.

After earning a pair of stoppage wins in his six-month rookie season in 2017, the 29-year-old Californian added a first-round finish of Jared Cannonier and a unanimous decision win over Top 10 fixture Ovince Saint Preux in 2018 to push his record to 4-0 in the UFC and 10-0 overall.

Next month, Reyes ventures to London to square off with Volkan Oezdemir, who started last year by challenging for the light heavyweight title before getting finished by Anthony Smith in October.

Earning a stoppage win over the Swiss contender vaulted Smith into his title fight with Jon Jones next month at UFC 235, so while there are no guarantees, it wouldn’t be unthinkable for Reyes to land as the No. 1 contender in the light heavyweight division if he’s able to secure a fifth consecutive victory next month in England.

Jimmy Crute

Earlier this month, Jimmy Crute earned his second UFC win and 10th consecutive victory to start his professional career, securing a questionable first-round stoppage win over Sam Alvey on the main card of UFC 234 in Melbourne.

While there is debate as to whether or not referee Marc Goddard halted the bout early, there is no question that Crute was all over “Smilin’ Sam” and if the finish didn’t come when it did, it certainly felt like the 22-year-old whose real nickname is “The Brute” would have found a way to end in at some point.

Crute is another in the growing list of ANZAC fighters making waves in the UFC and much like Robert Whittaker, Alexander Volkanovski, and Dan Hooker, he’s shown a willingness to wade into the fire in order to land shot of his own, confident that this chin will hold up and his power will win the exchange.

At just 22, the future is bright for the lad from Melbourne and he should get every opportunity to climb the divisional ladder and potentially land himself a place in the Top 15 before the year is out.

Aleksandar Rakic

Rakic is a great current example of one of the things that confuses me about how MMA fans flock to certain fighters and exist as prisoners of the moment.

Walker goes out and beats Ledet and everyone goes bonkers, but Rakic mopped the floor with him back in July and followed it up with a ridiculous finish of his own against Devin Clark at UFC 231, yet no one is advocating for the 27-year-old Austrian to get the same fast pass to the Top 10 his Brazilian counterpart has already received.

As of right now, Rakic might be the best emerging talent currently stationed outside the Top 15. He has good size for the division, supplements his training in Austria with frequent trips and extended stays at American Top Team and showed in his bout with Clark that he’s tough as nails and capable of finishing in explosive fashion.

While several others are currently commanding all the attention, don’t sleep on Rakic as a future contender in the 205-pound weight class.

Darko Stosic

Stosic is the dark horse of this group — a 27-year-old judoka who trains alongside Mirko Cro Cop, used to compete at heavyweight and absolutely mauled Jeremy Kimball in his promotional debut. Before getting injured and being forced to withdraw, he was scheduled to face Ankalaev this weekend in Prague and potentially earns the same bump that could benefit Farias if he emerges victorious.

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The Serbian newcomer is built like a tank, but moves well, and showed in his fight with Kimball that despite taking an economical approach with his output, he carries significant power, as it only took two clean shots once they hit the ground for the American to need saving.

Once he returns to health and is ready to compete again, Stosic should find himself faced with another stiff test, ideally against a veteran and not another potential upstart. If he aces that exam the way he did his first UFC assignment, he could find himself in the mix as a newcomer getting a nice, long look in the light heavyweight ranks.

E. Spencer Kyte