“I feel that if Jan Blachowicz can stop the takedowns, the fight will turn out in his favor, but it will not be easy,” said the Briton in the next edition of his podcast. “Magomed is a Dagestani and a master of sports in sambo, so takedowns will be of key importance. This is not to say that Magomed cannot fight in a standing position, but Blachowicz is very good on his feet. He has more knockout power.”
“It all comes down to whether Blachowicz can stay on his feet. If yes, I bet that he will knock out Ankalaev, or Magomed will transfer him and try to take over the fight.
The fight between Ankalaev and Blachowicz was called a Candidates’ bout after the reigning division champion Jiri Prochaska suffered a severe shoulder injury and voluntarily vacated the title. The light heavyweight title fight will headline UFC 282 on December 10 in Las Vegas.