Magomed Ankalaev vs Johnny Walker

Oct 21, 2023 · ESPN+

DateOct 21, 2023

DivisionLight Heavyweight

StatusScheduled

VenueEtihad Arena

BroadcastESPN+

Start times & how to watch

Start time & how to watch

Main card starts Saturday, October 21, 2023 — watch on ESPN+.

US East (ET): Sat 1:00 PM
US West (PT): Sat 10:00 AM
United Kingdom: Sat 6:00 PM
Central Europe: Sat 7:00 PM
Australia (Sydney): Sun 4:00 AM
Your time

Magomed AnkalaevBig Ank |21-2-1Magomed Ankalaev vs Johnny WalkerJohnny Walker23-10-0

Magomed AnkalaevBig Ank21-2-1

Fight Overview

RoundTBD

Time3:13

21-2-1Record23-10-0

34Age34

6'3"Height6'5"

75"Reach82"

205 lbsWeight206 lbs

Light HeavyweightWeight ClassLight Heavyweight

Johnny Walker23-10-0

Combat Edge Intelligence

Fight Intelligence

Magomed Ankalaev owns a 196-point Elo edge (elite). Magomed Ankalaev shows more surface-level statistical edges across the tracked UFC categories. 3 shared opponents give extra context.

Compare Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker across their careers →

Elo Recent career Elo trajectory

Recent three-year Elo paths for both fighters. Ratings shown here are current career context; the event-specific prediction or verified result remains on this Fight page.

Magomed AnkalaevJohnny Walker

Recent form

Magomed AnkalaevW L W W W · +23 Elo last 5

WLWWW

Johnny WalkerW L W L L · +4 Elo last 5

WLWLL

Elo edge

Magomed Ankalaev1853+13 last move

Johnny Walker1657+16 last move

Why they are ranked here

Magomed Ankalaev#1 of 162 active Light Heavyweight fighters · 1853 Elo

Biggest gain: Beat Anthony Smith (rated 1729 at the time): +15.
Costliest loss: Lost to Alex Pereira (rated 1782 at the time): -24.
Last 5 fights: 4 wins, 1 loss, +23 Elo in total.
Next places: 36 ahead of #2 Carlos Ulberg.

Johnny Walker#66 of 174 active Heavyweight fighters · 1657 Elo

Biggest gain: Beat Paul Craig (rated 1719 at the time): +26.
Costliest loss: Lost to Volkan Oezdemir (rated 1696 at the time): -13.
Last 5 fights: 2 wins, 3 losses, +4 Elo in total.
Next places: 1 point behind #65 Tanner Boser, 3 ahead of #67 RJ Harris.

Every rated fight moves a rating by an amount set by the opponent's rating at the time, the result and how it ended. Places are counted among fighters active in the last 24 months. How the rating is calculated

Fight intelligence

Model forecast and your pick

Inspect the model’s probability and Elo baseline, then make your own call before the card starts.

What's at stake

Magomed AnkalaevNow 1853 · #1 Light Heavyweight

Wins by decision+8→ 1861

Loses by decision-24→ 1829

Johnny WalkerNow 1657 · #66 Heavyweight

Wins by decision+18→ 1675

Loses by decision-6→ 1651

What-if simulatorPremium

Pick the winner and how the fight ends to see both new ratings, both new division ranks, and who each fighter would pass.

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Projected with the same rules as the rankings, at today's ratings. Split decisions move ratings less and finishes more.

Stat advantages

Magomed AnkalaevvsJohnny Walker

Submission average

0vs0.73

Takedown average

0.79vs0.36

Takedown defense

88%vs57%

Sig. strike defense

56%vs46%

Finishing profile

Magomed AnkalaevKO/TKO leads 52% of wins

Johnny WalkerKO/TKO leads 78% of wins

Common opponents

Bogdan Guskov Magomed Ankalaev: win · TKO (punches) · Jul 25, 2026Johnny Walker: cancelled · Cancelled Bout · Jan 18, 2025

Volkan OezdemirMagomed Ankalaev: win · Decision (Unanimous) · Oct 30, 2021Johnny Walker: loss · KO (punch) · Jun 22, 2024

Anthony Smith Magomed Ankalaev: win · TKO (punches) · Jul 30, 2022 Johnny Walker: win · Decision (Unanimous) · May 13, 2023

Tale of the tape

Magomed AnkalaevJohnny Walker

Tracked UFC statistics may not cover a fighter's full career. Unavailable measurements are not zero.

3.65Sig. strikes landed per min3.90

UFC light heavyweight average : 4.00

53Sig. strike accuracy55

UFC light heavyweight average : 50%

2.59Sig. strikes absorbed per min2.99

UFC light heavyweight average : 3.73

56Sig. strike defense46

UFC light heavyweight average : 51%

0.79Takedown average0.36

UFC light heavyweight average : 1.37

0Takedown accuracy0

UFC light heavyweight average : 26%

88Takedown defense57

UFC light heavyweight average : 58%

0Submission average0.73

UFC light heavyweight average : 0.59

11Wins by knockout18

0Wins by submission3

10Wins by decision2

1Losses by knockout6

1Losses by submission1

0Losses by decision3

Magomed Ankalaev vs Johnny Walker is a scheduled Light Heavyweight fight on UFC 294 : MAKHACHEV VS VOLKANOVSKI 2. Magomed Ankalaev enters with a 21-2-1 record and Johnny Walker enters with a 23-10-0 record. Combat Edge tracks the matchup preview, UFC stats, Elo edge, shared opponents, event date, venue, and full fight card.