Magomed Ankalaev stopped Bogdan Guskov by TKO from punches at 2:41 of Round 5 in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The light heavyweight headliner closed UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov, with prelims starting at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT and the main card at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT on Paramount+. Ankalaev entered off his title-rematch loss to Alex Pereira, while Guskov accepted the five-round main event after Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew.
Round 1 opened slowly, with both fighters testing low kicks before Ankalaev mixed in body and side kicks. Marc Goddard warned Guskov for extended fingers, and Ankalaev finished the round with his cleanest punching burst.
Round 2 stayed measured. Ankalaev kept touching the body and legs, landed straight left hands, and shot late after Guskov connected with a right hand. Round 3 brought more forward pressure from Ankalaev, whose left hand and leg kicks carried the cleaner offense while Guskov struggled to build combinations.
The fight finally changed shape in Round 4. Ankalaev went to the takedown, controlled from top position, threatened the back and neck, and used punches when Guskov defended the choke attempts. In Round 5, Ankalaev scored another early takedown, escaped a brief anaconda-choke scare, and unloaded ground-and-pound until the referee stopped the bout.
Official UFC Fight Clips
Ankalaev Returns To The Win Column
The result moves Ankalaev back toward the top of the 205-pound title picture after the Pereira setback. MiddleEasy tracked the buildup when Ankalaev said the Pereira trilogy could wait until he handled Guskov, and the late-notice booking itself came after Rountree was forced out of the Abu Dhabi main event.
Guskov had talked up the stakes before fight night, telling MiddleEasy readers through the week that 15 seconds was enough to accept Ankalaev because a win could push him into a title-shot conversation. Instead, Ankalaev made the fight progressively more one-sided before finding the late stoppage.
