Ankalaev first began training in Greco-Roman Wrestling for one year whilst he was a student at the Dagestan State University, where he graduated in the sport faculty. At that time he also competed in combat sambo, where he was honoured with the title of Master of Sports in the discipline. Ankalaev was compelled at the idea of transitioning to MMA, because of the similarity between MMA and combat sambo. Ankalaev then became the Russian and World champion in amateur MMA. Ankalaev was also named the 2015 Mixed Martial Artist of Russia by the Russian MMA federation.
After grappling and Amateur MMA career Ankalaev made his debut on 18 January 2014 at Oplot Challenge 96 when he beat Vasily Babich of Ukraine in the close match by majority decision. After Chechen MMA promotion World Fighting Championship Akhmat world title he signed with the UFC in October 2017.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ankalaev made his promotional debut against Paul Craig in March 2018 at. Ankalaev dominated the fight for the better part of two rounds, winning with clean striking, takedowns and top control; Ankalaev even had Craig badly hurt with a body kick in the first round. However, in the last five seconds of round three, Craig caught Ankalaev with a triangle choke, giving him his first professional loss at exactly 4:59 of round three. Rebounding from this loss, Ankalaev was scheduled to fight Marcin Prachnio on September 15, 2018 at. After a slow start, Ankalaev landed a right hook counter that knocked down Prachnio, who then got up, only to then be hit with a head kick and follow up punch which rendered him unconscious. The knockout earned Ankalaev his first UFC win and Performance of the Night award. Ankalaev was expected to face Darko Stošić on February 23, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 145. However, Stošić pulled out of the fight on January 23 citing injury. Ankalaev instead faced promotional newcomer Klidson Abreu. Ankalaev won the fight by unanimous decision. Ankalaev faced Dalcha Lungiambula on November 9, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 21. He won the fight via knockout in the third round. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award. Ankalaev faced Ion Cuțelaba on February 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 169. He won via a technical knockout in the first round. The win was not without controversy as referee Kevin MacDonald stopped the bout believing Cuțelaba was out on his feet while still standing, which Cuțelaba immediately protested. The stoppage was universally deemed terrible by the event announcers, MMA pundits, and UFC fighters alike. Moreover, the Virginia athletic commission is expected to review the controversial stoppage and they will decide if the result remains unchanged or if it is considered to change it to an overturned NC. Due to the controversy of the stoppage, UFC rebooked the pair on April 18, 2020 to meet at UFC 249. The rematch with Cuțelaba is now expected to take place on August 15, 2020 at UFC 252.
