Magomed Ankalaev proves he can go five rounds, Song Yadong flashes power

Magomed Ankalaev’s game plan, a bit perplexing as the fight unfolded, finally made sense as he was being interviewed inside the Octagon after his unanimous-decision victory over Thiago Santos in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas.

“I wanted to fight five rounds and see if I’m ready to test myself, if I’m ready to go all the way to the top,” Ankalaev said.

It was his eighth straight victory, and while it wasn’t a thrill-a-minute performance, he delivered an efficient and impressively in-control 25 minutes on a night when expectations for him were high. Ankalaev was the biggest favorite on the card, despite it being his first UFC main event and despite his opposition being a onetime title light heavyweight challenger.

Ankalaev (17-1) pushed forward for the whole fight, but he did not take that aggression to the next level. He threw one strike at a time — when he threw anything. Mostly, he waited to counter Santos, and he paid the price in Round 2, when he was dropped by a left hand by the Brazilian and spent the round’s final seconds absorbing punches on the ground.

But that was about the only glimmer of success that Santos could muster, and the judges’ scores (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) reflected that degree of control by the Russian.

Ankalaev called for a title fight after his win. But the 29-year-old would be better served by…