EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsIn his first appearance since losing the UFC's light heavyweight championship in October, Magomed Ankalaev looked as dominant as ever Saturday -- and will now wait to see if it's enough for a title shot.Ankalaev (22-2-1) completely out-classed Bogdan Guskov (18-4-1) in a fifth-round stoppage, in the main event of UFC Fight Night inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The finish came at 2:41 of the final round, when Guskov basically surrendered and covered up from strikes on the ground. It was a much-needed result for Ankalaev, who is seeking not only a shot to reclaim his belt but an eventual third fight against former champion Alex Pereira, who knocked him out in October."I was out for a long time, [but] now I'm back and I'm going to start my hunt for the thing I lost," said Ankalaev, through an interpreter.The 205-pound contest was never competitive, and probably would have ended sooner had Guskov been willing to engage. The Uzbekistani took the bout on short notice, after Ankalaev's original opponent, Khalil Rountree Jr., withdrew due to injury. Guskov might have accepted the challenge, but he didn't appear to do much of anything with the opportunity.He constantly circled away from Ankalaev, preventing any real striking exchanges. When Ankalaev decided to wrestle in the fourth and fifth rounds, he offered very little resistance in either defending takedowns or working back to his feet. At one point, his own corner pleaded with him to not give up. He was out-struck 122 to 42, according to UFC Stats."He wasn't engaging in the striking," Ankalaev acknowledged. "I was trying to find him but he kept getting away. I've said this before, when a striker comes out against me in a fight, I have to go hunt and find them."Ankalaev, 34, likely could have cruised to a five-round decision, had he not changed tactics in the fourth and fifth to take Guskov down to essentially keep him from running. Ankalaev said in interviews he would take an "angry" approach into the bout, after sitting with the disappointment of his loss to Pereira for nine months. Ankalaev became UFC champion with a decision over Pereira in March 2025, before losing an immediate rematch. Pereira has since moved up to heavyweight, and Ankalaev has said he is willing to follow him there in order to complete a trilogy.Ankalaev was already the UFC's No. 1-ranked light heavyweight contender going into Saturday. Current champion Carlos Ulberg is out indefinitely with a knee injury.
