Magomed Ankalaev has bounced back with a dominant win after losing his title last year against Alex Pereira. The Russian fighter won in the fifth round by TKO against Bogdan Guskov in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi.
Guskov took the fight on short notice. The Uzbek was supposed to fight next week against Jan Blachowicz but jumped on the opportunity to fight his first main event in the UFC after Khalil Rountree Jr. pulled out due to an injury.
The fight itself was far from a barnburner. Both guys were pretty hesitant and cautious. Ankalaev landed more punches and kicks than Guskov, but it wasn’t very exciting. In the final two rounds, Ankalaev put an exclamation point on the fight by dominating Guskov with grappling.
A Title Shot Next For The Former Champion?
Ankalaev went for chokes and, in the fifth round, for ground and pound. Guskov didn’t do anything back, and referee Marc Goddard stepped in. A solid showing for the fighter from Dagestan, Russia. If it is enough for a title shot, we will learn in the near future.
Massive Statement
Ramazan Temirov made a gigantic statement during the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. The Uzbek fighter put on massive pressure early on against former title challenger Steve Erceg. Erceg was able to overcome the early onslaught and looked to be safe.
Temirov kept pressuring and hurt Erceg with a right punch. Erceg was wobbly and tried to circle away. Temirov jumped on the opportunity and finished the Australian via knockout within the first five minutes. An amazing win for Temirov.
Battle Of The Undefeated
In a much hyped fight between two newcomers, Magomed Zaynukov won after three rounds against Damian Rzepecki. Zaynukov fought a very good fight, with many combinations and varied orthodox striking. Rzepecki did well against the Russian fighter in the first round, but the longer the fight went, Zaynukov took over.
The undefeated Russian pressured the Polish fighter and inflicted lots of damage with punches and elbows. Rzepecki’s capacity to absorb damage was very impressive. After three rounds, it was pretty clear ‘Wild Chanco’ took the win.
Massive First Impression
Muhammad Saidov has made a direct impact during his debut in the light-heavyweight division. The Russian fighter took on mainstay Dustin Jacoby on short notice in Abu Dhabi. After a solid first round with many good moments for Saidov, he was able to put away Jacoby in the second round with a barrage of punches.
Jacoby tried to defend, but after he went down, the referee came in between the two fighters. A massive win in his debut for ‘Kubik’, who might get himself a ranked opponent next. Jacoby dropped out of the rankings last week. When the match-up was made, he was still ranked at number 15.
Full Results UFC Abu Dhabi
Main Card
- Magomed Ankalaev def. Bogdan Guskov via TKO (ground-and-pound) – R5, 2:41.
- Ramazan Temirov def. Steve Erceg via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:21.
- Magomed Zaynukov def. Damian Rzepecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Rizvan Kuniev def. Tyrell Fortune via TKO (strikes) – R3, 1:12.
- Abubakar Vagaev def. Saygid Izagakhmaev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Preliminary Card
- Valter Walker def. Thomas Petersen via submission (calf slicer) – R1, 1:32.
- Muhammad Saidov def. Dustin Jacoby via TKO (strikes) – R2, 4:49.
- Sam Patterson def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via TKO (punch) – R2, 3:06.
- Axel Sola def. Ismael Bonfim via submission (D’Arce choke) – R1, 4:44.
- Magomed Tuchalov def. Brendson Ribeiro via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Nurullo Aliev def. Mike Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Abdul Hussein def. Cody Gibson via submission (arm-triangle choke) – R3, 3:07.
Full bonuses were also announced after the fights.
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