Magomed Ankalaev secured a technical knockout victory against Bogdan Guskov in the main event of UFC Fight Night at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The card featured an early start time, preliminary action streaming on Paramount+, and major finishes across the board.
Main Event Grit: Ankalaev TKO Defeats Guskov in Round Four
Magomed Ankalaev claimed a technical knockout victory at 2:41 of the fourth round against Bogdan Guskov in the main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi following a re-worked matchup. Guskov stepped in on short notice.
The light heavyweight clash carried significant rankings implications. Ankalaev entered the bout looking to rebound from his October TKO loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 320, which followed his title victory against Pereira in March 2025 at UFC 320. Guskov arrived following a draw against Jan Blachowicz in December after winning four consecutive bouts.
Explosive Finishes Define the Abu Dhabi Main Card
The main card delivered quick finishes and high-stakes battles before a packed arena. In the co-main event, Ramazan Temirov stopped former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg via knockout at 4:21 of the first round with a flurry of punches that left the crowd on their feet after starting his UFC run with two victories.
Heavyweight action saw Rizvan Kuniev defeat Tyrell Fortune via technical knockout at 1:12 of the third round in a dominant performance. In the lightweight division, Magomed Zaynukov earned a unanimous decision victory over Damian Rzepecki with identical 30-27 scorecards across all three judges to maintain his undefeated professional record. In the welterweight division, Abubakar Vagaev took a unanimous decision over Saygid Izagakhmaev 29-28 to open the main card scoring.
Preliminary Card Highlights and Schedule Shifts
The preliminary card kicked off at 9 a.m. ET on Paramount+ to accommodate international timing, featuring multiple submission victories and rapid stoppages. Valter Walker locked in a calf-slicer submission against Thomas Petersen at 1:32 of the opening round to secure another grappling finish. Axel Sola forced Ismael Bonfim to tap while Abdul Hussein submitted Cody Gibson to close out the early prelims.
Not all scheduled bouts made it to the cage. The welterweight preliminary matchup between Islam Dulatov and Wellington Turman was canceled due to Dulatov’s hospitalization from an unexpected illness.
Complete UFC Abu Dhabi Results
| Division | Winner | Loser | Method | Round / Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight | Magomed Ankalaev | Bogdan Guskov | TKO | Round 4, 2:41 |
| Flyweight | Ramazan Temirov | Steve Erceg | KO | Round 1, 4:21 |
| Lightweight | Magomed Zaynukov | Damian Rzepecki | Unanimous Decision | 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 |
| Heavyweight | Rizvan Kuniev | Tyrell Fortune | TKO | Round 3, 1:12 |
| Welterweight | Abubakar Vagaev | Saygid Izagakhmaev | Unanimous Decision | 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 |
| Heavyweight | Valter Walker | Thomas Petersen | Submission (Calf Slicer) | Round 1, 1:32 |
| Light Heavyweight | Muhammad Saidov | Dustin Jacoby | TKO | Round 2, 4:49 |
| Lightweight | Sam Patterson | Santiago Ponzinibbio | RD2 finish | Round 2 |
| Lightweight | Axel Sola | Ismael Bonfim | Submission | Round 1 |
| Light Heavyweight | Magomed Tuchalov | Brendson Ribeiro | Unanimous Decision | 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 |
| Lightweight | Nurullo Aliev | Mike Davis | Unanimous Decision | 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 |
| Bantamweight | Abdul Hussein | Cody Gibson | Submission | Round 3 |
Post-Fight Outlook for the Light Heavyweight Division
Prediction markets tracked the main event closely, with Ankalaev trading at $0.81 per share to win against Guskov’s $0.19 prediction value prior to the opening bell on regulated prediction platforms regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission under U.S. federal oversight.
