Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov squared off in a Light Heavyweight bout earlier tonight (Sat., July 25, 2026) inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for UFC Abu Dhabi. In a slow fight, Ankalaev eventually scored the late stoppage win. The main event began with an extended feeling-out process as both men touched lightly with kicks. By the midway point in the round, Ankalaev was opening up more with his kicks and landing the heavier blows. Guskov did land a nice high kick on the guard, but he was largely on his back foot. Ultimately, neither man landed any real punches of significance in the first frame. Ankalaev continued to press into the second and started throwing his left hand more. Guskov, meanwhile, targeted the lead leg fairly often but wasn’t throwing a lot of punches. Finally, he landed a nice right hook late in the round, prompting a takedown attempt and some clinch work from “Big Ank.” After ten uneventful minutes, Ankalaev was winning. The crowd began to boo freely in the three. Guskov largely stopped throwing punches, and Ankalaev pressed a little harder. He started leading with his left hand more often and connected decently a few times. Guskov was fully on his bike, hoping for Ankalaev to overextend into a counter … and he was three rounds down as a result of his own inactivity. Ankalaev opened the fourth with an easy takedown and settled into half guard. After landed some ground-and-pound, Ankalaev moved towards the back and attacked the neck. He came close to getting under the chin a couple times, but Guskov was able to survive the round. In the process, Ankalaev landed several elbows and bloodied up his opponent. Guskov had five minutes to find a Hail Mary knockout. Instead, he tried to jump guillotine and wound up on his back almost immediately. Despite having a tired and fairly hapless opponent stuck beneath him, Ankalaev was still reluctant to unleash his ground strikes. Finally, Ankalaev opened up from the turtle, pounding away and forcing the finish as soon as he actually tried. Well … this was a bad fight. Magomed Ankalaev picked up the stoppage win, but it felt like he could have done so much more. He outclassed Guskov on the canvas yet waited three full rounds to even try for a takedown? Strange. Guskov’s showing was even worse, as he let the fight slip away from him without ever really trying to land hard. He never gave himself a shot at the upset! Regardless, “Big Ank” is back in the win column. Result: Ankalaev defeats Guskov via fifth-round knockout For complete UFC Abu Dhabi results and play-by-play click here.