UFC Fight Night card: Thiago Santos vs Ankalaev

• UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev (Watch Time and Venue)
• The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a Las Vegas, Nevada-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion corporation. Zuffa, LLC, a fully owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings, owns and operates it. It is the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion corporation, with a roster that includes some of the sport’s top athletes. It stages events across the globe that include twelve weight categories (eight men’s and four women’s) and adhere to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. By 2020, it will have hosted over 500 events. Dana White has served as the organization’s president since 2001. It has evolved into an internationally popular multibillion-dollar corporation under White’s guidance UFC Fight Night.
• The UFC was formed in 1993 in Denver, Colorado, by businessman Art Davie and Brazilian martial artist Rorion Gracie. The first event took place in the McNichols Sports Arena. The early Ultimate Combat Championship tournaments were designed to determine the best effective martial art via a contest with few regulations and no weight divisions for contestants from various fighting disciplines. Subsequent events established more stringent regulations and combatants started incorporating efficient techniques from several disciplines, which indirectly contributed to the development of a distinct form of fighting known as modern mixed martial arts. In 2016, Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, was sold for US$4.025 billion to a consortium headed by Endeavor, formerly known as William Morris Endeavor (WME–IMG), which included Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and MSD Capital. Endeavor acquired Zuffa’s other owners in 2021 for $1.7 billion.
• The UFC has grown in popularity and gained mainstream media attention as a result of a television agreement and growth into Australia, Asia, Europe, and new areas inside the United States. It earned $609 million in 2015, and its next domestic media rights deal with ESPN is worth $1.5 billion over a five-year period.

UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev

UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev (also known as UFC Fight Night 203 and UFC on ESPN+ 61) is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship scheduled for March 12, 2022 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, a suburb of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.

Background

• The event’s centrepiece is set to be a light heavyweight match between former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship contender Thiago Santos and Magomed Ankalaev.
• The event was set to feature a featherweight contest between Joshua Culibao and Damon Jackson.
• Culibao, on the other hand, was removed from the event for unclear reasons and replaced by Kamuela Kirk.
• Ariane Lipski, the former KSW Women’s Flyweight Champion, and JJ Aldrich were slated to square off in a women’s flyweight match. Lipski was, however, dismissed from the position for unclear reasons and replaced by Gillian Robertson.
• At the event, Mandy Bohm was slated to face Sabina Mazo in a women’s flyweight contest. However, due to unclear circumstances, Bohm withdrew from the match and was replaced by Miranda Maverick.
• The event was scheduled to feature a lightweight battle between Ricky Glenn and Drew Dober. Glenn withdrew from the race a week before the event due to a torn groyne and was replaced by Terrance McKinney.

THIAGO SANTOS

Thiago Santos de Lima (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division. Since 2010, he has competed professionally and won entry into the UFC after fighting on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2. He is presently ranked #5 in the UFC Light Heavyweight division as of September 21, 2021.

Background

Santos was born in Rio de Janeiro from an impoverished household. He suffered from an undiscovered condition in his early youth, which resulted in developing cysts in his stomach, which were medically removed. Santos’ family lost their goods in one of the city’s infrequent floods, and after a time of homelessness, they landed in the infamous area of Cidade de Deus. Santos’ father died in 2010, just days after he made his mixed martial arts debut.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

• Prior to entering MMA, Santos spent eight years training in capoeira and served as a paratrooper in the Brazilian army.
• In October 2010, he made his professional MMA debut. He had an 8-1 record before to entering The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil

• Santos was revealed as a member of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2 in March 2013.
• Santos beat Gil Freitas by majority decision in the initial round to earn a spot in the TUF house. He was the last coach’s choice, ending up on Team Werdum. Santos met Pedro Iriê in the elimination round and won unanimously. He met eventual season champion Leonardo Santos in the quarterfinals and lost unanimously.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

• Santos was signed to a contract by the UFC despite not winning the programme. He made his UFC debut against Cezar Ferreira, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, on August 3, 2013. He was submitted in the first round.
• Santos fought Ronny Markes in his second bout with the organisation on March 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2. He defeated his opponent in the first round by TKO.
• Santos squared up against Uriah Hall at UFC 175.
• He was defeated by a unanimous decision.
• Santos next fought Andy Enz at UFC 183 on January 30, 2015.
• He defeated his opponent in the first round by TKO.
• Santos squared off against promotional newcomer Steve Bossé at UFC Fight Night 70 on June 27, 2015.
• He won the bout through first-round knockout and received a Performance of the Night bonus.

• Santos fought Elias Theodorou at UFC Fight Night 80 on December 10, 2015. He won the bout unanimously (29–28, 29–27, 29–27).
• Santos squared up against Nate Marquardt at UFC 198 on May 14, 2016.
• [17] He won the bout through first-round knockout.
• Santos replaced an injured Derek Brunson in his UFC 200 bout against Gegard Mousasi on July 9, 2016. He was knocked out in the first round.
• Santos faced Eric Spicely at UFC Fight Night 95 on September 24, 2016. In a stunning shock, he lost the bout through first-round submission.
• Santos squared up against Jack Marshman at UFC Fight Night 105 on February 19, 2017.
• He won the bout by TKO in the second round, courtesy of a spinning heel kick and punches, and earned a Performance of the Night bonus award.
• Santos fought Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 213 on July 8, 2017.
• He defeated his opponent in the second round by TKO.
• Santos was briefly connected to a match against promotional newcomer Micha Materla at UFC Fight Night 118 on October 21, 2017.
• On 1 September, it was disclosed that Materla had breached his contract with the UFC and was re-signing with Polish regional organisation KSW.
• As a result, Santos was scratched from the event and will meet Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 119 a week later.
• He defeated his opponent in the first round through technical knockout.
• Santos squared off against Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 125 on February 3, 2018.
• He defeated his opponent in round two through technical knockout. He was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus for this victory.
• Santos squared up against David Branch at UFC Fight Night 128 on April 21, 2018.
• He was knocked out in the first round.
• Santos squared up against promotional newcomer Kevin Holland at UFC 227 on August 4, 2018.
• He won the bout unanimously (29–27, 29–27, 29–26).

Move to Light Heavyweight

• Santos was set to fight Jimi Manuwa in a light heavyweight contest at UFC Fight Night 137 on September 22, 2018, in place of the injured Glover Teixeira. On September 16, 2018, Manuwa was forced to withdraw from the match due to a torn hamstring and was replaced by Eryk Anders. Santos beat Anders through referee stoppage TKO in round three after Anders failed to make it to his corner. This victory won him the title of Fight of the Night.
• Santos squared up against Jimi Manuwa at UFC 231 on December 8, 2018.
• He won via KO in the early rounds of the second round. This victory won him the Performance of the Night award and equaled him with five other fighters for the most bouts in a calendar year.
• Santos squared up against Jan Bachowicz at UFC Fight Night 145 on February 23, 2019. He won the bout through third-round TKO. This victory won him the prize for Performance of the Night.
• Santos challenged Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in the main event of UFC 239 on July 6, 2019.
• He was defeated by a split decision in the back-and-forth bout.
• Santos was the only fighter in MMA history to win a judge’s scoring against Jones, despite the defeat.
• He suffered a ruptured left ACL, PCL, MCL, meniscus, and shattered tibia during the battle, as well as a partly torn right meniscus.
• Santos was slated to face Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 177 on September 12, 2020.
• The match was postponed for October 4, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana because Teixeira tested positive for COVID-19 a week before to the contest.
• On September 15, the battle was rescheduled when Santos tested positive for the virus. Teixeira was finally paired with Santos on November 7, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira. [56] Despite coming dangerously close to finishing Teixeira on a number of times. Santos was submitted in round three.
• Santos squared up against Aleksandar Raki at UFC 259 on March 6, 2021. He was defeated by a unanimous decision.
• Santos squared off against Johnny Walker at UFC Fight Night 193 on October 2, 2021.
• He was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
• Santos is slated to meet Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night 203 on March 12, 2022.

MAGOMED ANKALAEV

Magomed Alibulatovich Ankalaev (Russian: аомéд лиулатови нкалаев; born 2 June 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Light heavyweight division.Ankalaev was also the World Fighting Championship Akhmat’s light heavyweight champion. He is currently ranked #6 in the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division as of November 2, 2021.

Early life

Ankalaev started training in Greco-Roman Wrestling as a student at Dagestan State University, where he finished with a degree in sport. He also participated in combat sambo at the time, earning the title of Master of Sports in that discipline. Ankalaev was driven to pursue MMA due to the similarities between MMA and combat sambo. Ankalaev later won the Russian and World amateur MMA champion. Ankalaev was also awarded the Russian MMA federation’s 2015 Mixed Martial Artist of the Year. Magomed Ankalaev is an ardent follower of Islam.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After a grappling and amateur MMA career, Ankalaev made his professional MMA debut on 18 January 2014 at Oplot Challenge 96, where he defeated Ukraine’s Vasily Babich by majority decision in a tight bout. He signed with the UFC in October 2017 after winning the Chechen MMA promotion’s World Fighting Championship Akhmat world championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

• In March 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov, Ankalaev made his professional debut against Paul Craig. Ankalaev controlled the fight for the greater part of two rounds, winning with clean striking, takedowns, and top control; in the first round, Ankalaev even injured Craig with a body kick. Craig, though, trapped Ankalaev with a triangle choke in the last five seconds of round three, handing him his first professional defeat at precisely 4:59 of round three.

• Ankalaev was supposed to face Marcin Prachnio on September 15, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik to avenge this defeat. After a hesitant start, Ankalaev connected with a right hook counter that knocked down Prachnio, who subsequently regained his feet only to be struck with a head kick and follow-up punch that put him unconscious. Ankalaev got his first UFC victory and Performance of the Night award with the knockout.

• Ankalaev was scheduled to face Darko Stoi at UFC Fight Night 145 on February 23, 2019. Stoi, however, withdrew from the bout on January 23 claiming injury. Ankalaev, on the other hand, was up against promotional newcomer Klidson Abreu. Ankalaev prevailed through unanimous decision.
• Ankalaev squared off against Dalcha Lungiambula at UFC Fight Night 163 on November 9, 2019.He won the bout through third-round knockout.This bout won him the Night’s Performance award.
• Ankalaev squared off against Ion Cuțelaba at UFC Fight Night 169 on February 29, 2020. He defeated his opponent in the first round through technical knockout. The victory was not without controversy, as referee Kevin MacDonald called a halt to the battle after thinking Cuțelaba was out on his feet while still standing, which Cuțelaba quickly contested. The stoppage was widely panned by event announcers, MMA commentators, and UFC competitors. Additionally, the Virginia athletic commission is anticipated to investigate the contentious halt to determine if the result should stay intact or be converted to an overturned NC.
• Cuțelaba’s rematch was scheduled for August 15, 2020, at UFC 252.Cuţelaba then withdrew on August 11 due to a COVID-19 positive test, and the match was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 175.However, on the day of the fight, it was revealed that the bout had been cancelled once again due to Cuțelaba testing positive for COVID-19 for the second time.They ultimately met at UFC 254.Ankalaev won the bout through a knockout in the first round.This victory won him the prize for Performance of the Night.
• Ankalev squared off against Nikita Krylov at UFC Fight Night 186 on February 27, 2021.He was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
• Ankalaev was slated to meet Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Fight Night 191 on September 4, 2021. The bout was then rescheduled for October 30, 2021, at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi. He won the match unanimously.
• Ankalaev is slated to fight Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 203 on March 12, 2022.

What time is the Main Fight UFC tonight?

• This evening, fight fans worldwide will be treated to a whole night of furious action inside the Octagon for the UFC’s March pay-per-view event. Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal — two of the most recognizable MMA fighters in the world — will square off in the main event of UFC 272. There are a total of 13 fights scheduled, and with three fight programmed in the works, you can anticipate more than six hours of action tonight. If you’re watching the UFC 272 live stream online, here’s when you should tune in.
• As is customary for UFC pay-per-view events, tonight’s bouts are split into three decks. The evening’s preliminary programme kicks off at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) with four bouts. Following this comes the preliminary programme, which begins at 8 p.m. ET and has four bouts as well. Finally, the pay-per-view main event begins at 10 p.m. ET. The main bill features five fights, concluding in a welterweight contest between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. Because UFC bouts run around 30 minutes, we anticipate Covington and Masvidal entering the Octagon just after midnight ET.

Is UFC Fight Night Free?

• UFC Fight Nights are not free but are included with ESPN+, which costs $5.99 a month or $59.99 per year. UFC Fight Pass is an American subscription video streaming service owned by the MMA promotion UFC.

When the Next Big UFC fight?

UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev (also known as UFC Fight Night 203 and UFC on ESPN+ 61) is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship scheduled for March 12, 2022 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, a suburb of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.

What channel is The UFC fight on tonight?

The main card for UFC 272 is available in the U.S. on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost. That portion of the event begins at 10 p.m. ET. Earlier fights are viewable live on ESPN, the WatchESPN app and, for the early prelims, on UFC Fight Pass.