Magomed Ankalaev is not treating Bogdan Guskov like a placeholder, even with Alex Pereira still sitting in the background of his career. Ankalaev returns Saturday at UFC Abu Dhabi after losing the light heavyweight title back to Pereira, and his answer for what comes next is more layered than a quick trilogy callout.
The first part is repair work. In a media-day video interview before the Guskov fight, Ankalaev said the timing of this comeback suits him after the layoff that followed the Pereira rematch.
“Yes, it’s a great time for a return, a great timeline,” Ankalaev said. “I think this is exactly when I’m peaking. This is the time that I needed. I think what you’ll see is that I’m ready, I’m prepared, and I’m a whole different fighter.”
Ankalaev also gave a cleaner answer on why his team later said he should not have fought Pereira at UFC 320. He did not list every medical detail, but he said the decision to compete was his.
“You know, it’s just that I had some specific health issues at the time and I was advised by many not to even go out, to pull out of the fight, that they were going to be able to move it for a later date,” Ankalaev said. “I decided that I was well enough to go on and I decided not to listen to anybody. I made a mistake and as we know, sometimes you have to pay for your mistakes. So, this has been a long time. I would rather not revisit it if we can.”
Watch the interview:
Magomed Ankalaev has officially arrived in Abu Dhabi ahead of his main event clash with Bogdan Guskov at UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov.
👊🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/xMWtBZN4Ie— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 21, 2026
Pereira Is Still On The Board
The Pereira part came up separately in Abu Dhabi. In comments published by The National, Ankalaev said he still has light heavyweight business before he follows Pereira to heavyweight.
“My goal right now is to come back to the winning column, to cement myself as a leader in this division,” Ankalaev said.
“Alex Pereira is Alex Pereira. He’s got his own thing, he moved up to heavyweight. My job now is to make sure that I answer all the questions that I have to answer in my own division, at light heavyweight. And then in the future, possibly have a fight with Alex Pereira specifically at heavyweight.”
That is different from pretending Pereira disappeared. Ankalaev beat Pereira by decision at UFC 313 before Pereira stopped him in the rematch. Pereira later moved up, and Ankalaev’s view is that the rivalry is not settled if both men are healthy.
“I don’t really like to make excuses or look back,” Ankalaev said. “Obviously it’s well known, there’s been reasons, there’s been factors, there must have been injuries, so I don’t want to keep talking about it. People know, but otherwise, we’re talking healthy, I don’t think Alex Pereira can win a fight against me.”
Guskov Took The Call
The immediate opponent changed when Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew. Ankalaev said he had been preparing for Rountree, but the replacement itself did not bother him because Guskov kept the main event alive.
“You know, obviously I was disappointed that Khalil wasn’t able to,” Ankalaev said. “I was preparing for Khalil, but the fact that I got a new opponent and the opponent got switched last minute, I didn’t really get disappointed by that. In fact, it’s the opposite. I’m really happy that I have an opponent, somebody who was able to come out on such short notice and save the fight. So, I’m excited.”
That part matters because the fight was offered around the division. Ankalaev said he understood why some ranked names would hesitate on a late call against the No. 1 contender.
“Yeah, I heard about Blachowicz that he was being offered the fight but then ended up not taking it or whatever and I think that a lot of people got the offer,” Ankalaev said. “A lot of people got called and I heard also that Paul Costa got called and didn’t have a chance to accept it or whatever but Guskov was the only one hesitated and said yes right away. But I understand people. This is professional sports. This is a big deal. To come out against a current ranked number one person without a preparation might be devastating to people’s careers. So I totally understand that there’s no ill will towards anybody.”
UFC India posted the matchup from both sides of the booking, including Ankalaev’s trip to Abu Dhabi and Guskov’s short-notice move into the headliner.
Ankalaev Says The Gap Is Real
Guskov gets a life-changing chance, but Ankalaev does not see the ranking jump as a small step. He framed the matchup as a test of whether Guskov is ready for the top five at all.
“For me, this is just a fight to be back,” Ankalaev said. “It’s like a, I guess a tune-up, if you want to call it. I get it with Bogdan, so to speak, because he is what, number 12, number 13, something like that in the rankings. So, for him to get this opportunity, it’s definitely life-changing. It’s a huge deal. And he’s going to try and take my number and this and that. But really what I think is that it’s going to be really tough for him to jump out against me just like that.”
“I think after this fight he’s going to realize that he’s never been in top five yet and the fighters in top five are a different type of guys,” Ankalaev said. “This is going to basically bring him back down to earth and show him a realization that you got to make your way up to the top five because it’s a whole different echelon of fighters up here.”
“You know, he hasn’t been in such deep waters yet,” Ankalaev said. “He hasn’t had these five rounds whereas these guys from top five, everything he’s gotten so far hasn’t been too much of a challenge for him. Everything seemed to be going pretty easy for him. I think now this is going to be a real big test for him, a real tough fight and I’m going to show him that it’s a whole different level up here.”
UFC India also highlighted Guskov’s finishing streak before the matchup. Guskov has the short-notice story, but Ankalaev has the five-round experience and the former-champion pressure.
Ulberg Changes The Timeline
The light heavyweight title picture is not clean. Carlos Ulberg holds the belt, but his injury means Ankalaev may need another fight even if Ulberg already called him deserving. That puts Saturday’s main event near the same traffic pattern MiddleEasy covered when Guskov replaced Rountree and when Paulo Costa and Jan Blachowicz discussed the short-notice offers.
“What’s next for me is we got a champion who’s probably going to take a little while to come back because he’s injured,” Ankalaev said. “So, for me, I would be interested in fighting somebody who maybe is in the top five. Hopefully, if the UFC offers somebody in top five, that could be good. Or maybe some of the new guys that are coming up to the division that have bigger names like Acosta or Whittaker, a former champion. So, it would be fun just to get in a fight with one of them.”
“But other than that, the goal is to fight for the title,” Ankalaev said. “And if we have to clean out the division once again, then we’ll do that.”
“I don’t think that I have to clean out the division, especially with such statements from the champion, but he is injured as you said, and I don’t want to just sit there and kind of wait for him,” Ankalaev said. “So, I would rather have a fight, continue to stay active, and continue fighting until he’s ready to go.”
Ankalaev Backs Makhachev To Set UFC Record
The same interview closed with a question about Islam Makhachev potentially reaching a 17-fight UFC winning streak against Ian Garry at UFC 330. Ankalaev gave a short answer before expanding on the challenge.
“Best record in UFC,” Ankalaev said.
“You know, it’s a very tough challenge to stay in shape and stay ready and stay on your winning streak for such a long time, but we’re talking about Islam Makhachev over here,” Ankalaev said. “I think that he’s going to be able to do it. He’s going to be able to set the record of 17 and he’s going to maul the Irish guy.”
The Pereira trilogy is the bigger-name option, but Ankalaev’s own answers put it behind two things: beating Guskov and staying close enough to the 205-pound belt that the UFC still has to deal with him. The wider Pereira conversation has already pulled in everyone from Jamahal Hill’s UFC PI comments to Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg’s title-line tension. Ankalaev’s job now is simpler: win Saturday, then make the UFC choose whether the next fight is at 205 or heavyweight.
