Magomed Ankalaev defeated Bogdan Guskov by technical knockout due to punches at 2:41 of the fifth round at UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov on July 25, 2026, held at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE [1, 2, 3].
Ankalaev, the former UFC light heavyweight champion who lost his title to Alex Pereira in October 2025, controlled the fight through distance management with kicks during the first four rounds [1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 2, 3]. He then shifted tactics by employing wrestling in the final rounds to secure the finish over Guskov, who fought largely defensively and struggled to engage [2, 3]. Despite being outstruck 122-42, Ankalaev maintained control and stopped Guskov with ground-and-pound [2].
Guskov was a late replacement for the injured Khalil Rountree Jr. and accepted the bout on short notice [1, 5, 8, 2, 3]. Prior to the fight, Guskov was on a four-fight winning streak and had fought to a draw against Jan Blachowicz in December 2025 [4, 5, 6, 8, 7]. His professional MMA record now stands at 18 wins, four losses, and one draw after the loss to Ankalaev [2, 3].
Ankalaev improved his professional record to 22 wins, two losses, one draw, and one no contest [2, 3]. Following the bout, Ankalaev said, "I was out for a long time, [but] now I'm back and I'm going to start my hunt for the thing I lost" [2].
The UFC Fight Night event began at approximately 12 p.m. ET and was broadcast exclusively on Paramount+ in the United States [1, 4, 6, 8, 7]. Alongside Ankalaev’s win, fighters Ramazan Temirov and Rizvan Kuniev also recorded notable victories at the event [1, 3].
