Magomed Ankalaev reinforced his place at the top of the UFC light heavyweight contenders list with an impressive fifth-round TKO win over Bogdan Guskov in Saturday’s main event in Abu Dhabi. Guskov produced a respectable showing considering he was a late replacement for the injured Khalil Rountree Jr., but he was unable to handle the onslaught from the former UFC light heavyweight champion.
In addition to Ankalaev’s win, we also saw a pair of standout performances and a heavyweight fight to remember. Who got the bonuses and biggest wins? Let’s talk UFC.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Event: UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov
- Date and venue: Saturday, July 25, 2026 · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Broadcast: Paramount+
- Main event: Ankalaev def. Guskov, TKO (punches), 2:41 of Round 5
- Referee: Marc Goddard
- Records: Ankalaev 22-2-1 (1 NC) · Guskov 18-4-1
- Bonus pool: two Performance of the Night, one Fight of the Night, five finish bonuses
UFC Abu Dhabi Main Card Results
Ankalaev spent four rounds managing distance with kicks before turning to wrestling, and Goddard waved it off midway through the fifth. It was his first win since Alex Pereira took the belt and snapped a 14-fight unbeaten run stretching back to his 2018 debut.
Below the main event, Ramazan Temirov needed less than a round to take out former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg, and Rizvan Kuniev walked through Tyrell Fortune in a heavyweight scrap that earned both men a bonus. Official results and scorecards are posted.
- Light heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev def. Bogdan Guskov, TKO (punches), 2:41 R5
- Flyweight: Ramazan Temirov def. Steve Erceg, KO (punches), 4:21 R1
- Lightweight: Magomed Zaynukov def. Damian Rzepecki, unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Heavyweight: Rizvan Kuniev def. Tyrell Fortune, TKO (knees), 1:12 R3
- Welterweight: Abubakar Vagaev def. Saygid Izagakhmaev, unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Heavyweight: Valter Walker def. Thomas Petersen, submission (calf slicer), 1:32 R1
UFC Abu Dhabi Prelim Results
Five of the seven preliminary bouts ended inside the distance, and two of the three newcomers on the card finished their debuts.
Muhammad Saidov announced himself with a head kick that folded Dustin Jacoby, and Sam Patterson bullied veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio before finishing him in the second.
- Light heavyweight: Muhammad Saidov def. Dustin Jacoby, TKO (head kick and punches), 4:49 R2
- Welterweight: Sam Patterson def. Santiago Ponzinibbio, TKO (punches), 3:06 R2
- Lightweight: Axel Sola def. Ismael Bonfim, submission (d’arce choke), 4:44 R1
- Bantamweight: Abdul Hussein def. Cody Gibson, submission
Who Won Bonuses At UFC Abu Dhabi?
Valter Walker took a hundred grand for a calf slicer that made it five straight leg submissions, which is starting to look less like a pattern and more like a specialty.
Kuniev and Fortune split Fight of the Night at heavyweight. Note that Ankalaev collected $25,000 rather than a six-figure award, since the finish bonus does not stack on top of a Performance or Fight of the Night purse. The full bonus list breaks down as follows.
- Fight of the Night, $100,000 each: Rizvan Kuniev and Tyrell Fortune
- Performance of the Night, $100,000: Ramazan Temirov
- Performance of the Night, $100,000: Valter Walker
- Finish bonus, $25,000 each: Magomed Ankalaev, Muhammad Saidov, Sam Patterson, Axel Sola, Abdul Hussein
What’s Next For Magomed Ankalaev?
Carlos Ulberg holds the belt and Pereira is the man who took it off Ankalaev. It is highly unlikely Pereira will come back down to light heavyweight despite his unsuccessful heavyweight debut at UFC Freedom 250.
Ankalaev’s win over a two-week replacement does not settle much, and he knows the next assignment has to be a ranked one. That said, he’s already the top contender in the division so it would make sense for him to be the man who welcomes Ulberg back to the Octagon if the champion is ready to fight within the next six months. If not, it might be time for that nasty i word — interim. An interim light heavyweight title fight between Ankalaev and Jiri Prochazka or Paulo Costa makes sense.
Guskov, meanwhile, drops to two career Octagon losses after stepping up on short notice. He had been preparing to rematch Jan Blachowicz next weekend in Belgrade before this call came. The promotion also used the broadcast to announce Salahdine Parnasse will make his UFC debut against Dan Hooker. Where any of it lands in the Meta rankings is the next thing to watch, and Baku already showed how fast a card like this reshuffles a division.
