Magomed Ankalaev stops Bogdan Guskov to chase UFC light heavyweight title
Magomed Ankalaev delivered a dominant fifth-round stoppage victory over Bogdan Guskov at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi as he looks to reclaim the light heavyweight championship.
The former champion completely outclassed his opponent at the Etihad Arena, securing the finish two minutes and 41 seconds into the final round.
Guskov, stepping in on short notice after Khalil Rountree Jr withdrew with an injury, essentially surrendered under a barrage of heavy ground strikes.
It marked a vital return to the win column for the 34-year-old Russian, who was making his first octagon appearance since losing his divisional crown last October.
Frustrating pursuit of a reluctant opponent
The 205-pound main event was rarely competitive, characterised largely by the Uzbekistani fighter continuously circling away to prevent any meaningful striking exchanges.
Ankalaev completely controlled the statistical battle, out-striking his overmatched rival by 122 blows to just 42 across the bout.
“He wasn’t engaging in the striking. I was trying to find him but he kept getting away. I’ve said this before, when a striker comes out against me in a fight, I have to go hunt and find them.”
Forced to change tactics, the number one ranked contender utilised his wrestling in the championship rounds to keep his elusive opponent grounded.
Guskov offered minimal resistance to the late takedowns, eventually prompting his own corner to desperately plead with him not to give up.
Title ambitions and heavyweight dreams
Ankalaev approached the contest fuelled by nine months of frustration following his devastating knockout defeat to Alex Pereira.
“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.”
With current light heavyweight king Carlos Ulberg sidelined indefinitely by a knee injury, the immediate path to a championship bout remains slightly unclear.
However, the Dagestan-born martial artist has set his sights far beyond simply regaining his lost 205-pound hardware.
He remains determined to secure a trilogy bout against Pereira, publicly confirming his willingness to follow his Brazilian rival up to the heavyweight division to settle the score.