Ankalaev, 29, was victorious in his first main event appearance, defeating Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 203 in March.
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Magomed Ankalaev will want to extend his winning record to nine fights when he squares off against former championship contender Anthony Smith at UFC 277. The booking of a light heavyweight was initially reported by MMAjunkie.com. UFC 277 does not yet have a venue or a location. A heavyweight clash between Sergei Pavlovich and Derrick Lewis is also expected on the schedule. Ankalaev has emerged as one of the division’s leading competitors thanks to an undefeated streak that began in September 2018.
Ankalaev, 29, was victorious in his first main event appearance, defeating Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 203 in March. Ankalaev’s lone loss in 17 fights came in his Octagon debut against Paul Craig at UFC Fight Night 127. Smith competed for the 205-pound title at UFC 235 but lost a unanimous decision to Jon Jones in March 2019. “Lionheart” is now on a three-fight winning run in the UFC, having defeated Devin Clark, Jimmy Crute, and Ryan Spann in quick succession.
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Heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich are slated to clash on July 30 at the upcoming UFC 277 pay-per-view event. The report is confirmed by many people with knowledge of the promotion’s intentions. The fight would be Pavlovich’s best opportunity since he was defeated by Alistair Overeem in his octagon debut in 2018. Since then, Pavlovich has won three straight fights, all by knockout, including victories over Marcelo Golm, Maurice Greene, and, most recently, Shamil Abdurakhimov in March.
Pavlovich will now attempt to extend his winning streak against one of the sport’s most dangerous heavyweights. Lewis has been a highlight reel performance in practically every UFC fight he’s had, with a bevvy of jaw-dropping knockouts on his career. Lewis has stopped Curtis Blaydes, Chris Daukaus, and Aleksei Oleinik in his past five fights. Lewis will be looking to rebound from a knockout defeat to Tai Tuivasa at UFC 271 in his hometown of Houston when he returns in July. Lewis vs. Pavlovich is the most recent addition to the July 30 event, which will act as the month’s second pay-per-view, with UFC 276 already scheduled for July 2.
