Magomed Ankalaev may have gotten the finish he needed, but it did little to silence the criticism surrounding his fighting style. Headlining UFC Abu Dhabi, the former light heavyweight champion stopped Bogdan Guskov with ground-and-pound at 2:41 of the fifth round.
On paper, it was an impressive late stoppage. In reality, the first 20 minutes of the fight left the Etihad Arena crowd frustrated, with loud boos echoing throughout the later rounds as fans grew tired of the slow-paced affair.
The fight started cautiously, with both men spending the opening minutes feeling each other out with leg kicks and feints. Ankalaev slowly found his rhythm, throwing the heavier kicks and controlling the distance, while Guskov struggled to get anything meaningful going. Aside from a high kick that landed on Ankalaev’s guard, the short-notice underdog offered very little offense, and neither fighter landed many significant punches in the opening round.
Round 2 followed a similar pattern. Ankalaev increased his output with his left hand and continued to pressure forward, while Guskov focused mostly on chopping at the lead leg. A late right hook from Guskov was one of his few notable moments before Ankalaev tied him up in the clinch and briefly looked for a takedown. After ten uneventful minutes, Ankalaev was comfortably ahead on the scorecards.
By the third round, the crowd had clearly seen enough. Boos rained down as Guskov became even more hesitant, seemingly waiting for Ankalaev to overcommit so he could land a counter that never came. Ankalaev was content to stay patient, landing enough clean shots to bank another round without taking unnecessary risks. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective.
The fight finally picked up in the championship rounds. Ankalaev secured an early takedown in the fourth, controlled Guskov from half guard, landed steady ground-and-pound, and came close to sinking in a rear-naked choke. Guskov survived but left the round bloodied and exhausted.
Needing a miracle finish in Round 5, Guskov instead jumped for a guillotine that immediately backfired, ending up underneath the Russian once again. Even with his opponent visibly fading, Ankalaev remained patient before finally opening up with a barrage of punches from the turtle position. Referee Marc Goddard stepped in at 2:41, ending the fight and giving Ankalaev his first finish since 2023.
While the late stoppage looks good on Ankalaev’s record, it may not do much to boost his title hopes after losing the light heavyweight belt to Alex Pereira at UFC 320 in October 2025. That defeat was his first since 2018, and Saturday’s victory improves his run to 15 unbeaten results in his last 16 fights.
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Speaking after the fight, Ankalaev shifted the blame to Guskov, saying his opponent simply wasn’t willing to engage. It’s hard to argue with that assessment. Guskov (18-4-1) saw his five-fight unbeaten streak snapped after a surprisingly timid performance.
The Uzbek contender stepped in on just 12 days’ notice after Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew with an injury, forcing him to scrap his originally scheduled rematch with Jan Błachowicz at UFC Belgrade next weekend.
It wasn’t the most exciting performance from either man, but the result is what matters. Ankalaev gets back in the win column with a fifth-round stoppage, even if the performance did little to win over fans or strengthen his case for another title shot.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
