Magomed Ankalaev has returned to his dominant profitable methods, however he most likely should not wait too lengthy for a championship.
In the primary occasion of UFC Abu Dhabi, which was met with occasional boos, Ankalaev put in a workmanlike efficiency towards out of the blue changed Bogdan Guskov, ending him within the closing spherical.
Watch Ankalaev’s technical knockout cease beneath.
After only a few minutes, it was clear Guskov wasn’t able to let his guard down in an try and upset the previous UFC mild heavyweight champion and top-five ranked fighter. Ankalaev inspired Guskov to spar at a distance, and Guskov complied, posing little hazard and permitting Ankalaev to tug Ankalaev away at his ft.
All through the primary two rounds, Ankalaev was clearly favored on the scorecards, however that had as a lot to do with Guskov’s full lack of offensive energy as Ankalaev’s methodical hanging recreation. The ready-to-enter underdog, recognized for his highly effective knockouts, seemed timid towards Ankalaev, however issues solely acquired worse for Guskov because the battle progressed. To make issues worse for the disgruntled Etihad Enviornment crowd, Ankalaev was content material to do exactly sufficient to earn 10 wins and 9 losses, with out coming near ending by the top of the third spherical.
Within the fourth spherical, Guskov wanted a Hail Mary end to win, however as a substitute was almost choked by a grounder by Ankalaev. The previous champion then knocked Guskov down for the fifth time and continued cruising till Mark Goddard known as for an oddly timed however merciful stoppage 2 minutes, 41 seconds into the spherical.
This was an necessary victory for Ankalaev (21-2-1). Ankalaev is coming off a disappointing 80-second loss to rival Alex Pereira in a lightweight heavyweight championship rematch in October. It was Ankalaev’s first loss since 2018, however Saturday’s victory means he’s undefeated in 15 of his final 16 fights.
Within the post-fight interview, Ankalaev blamed Guskov for the lackluster match.
“He was not concerned within the hitting,” Ankalaev mentioned by way of a Russian interpreter. “I used to be looking for him, however he saved operating away.”
Guskov (18-4-1) ended his five-fight undefeated streak with a disappointing efficiency. The Uzbek standout competed in the primary occasion of UFC Abu Dhabi on 12 days’ discover after Ankalaev’s authentic opponent, Khalil Rountree Jr., was sidelined with an damage. Guskov was initially scheduled to have a rematch with Jan Blachowicz subsequent Saturday at UFC Belgrade.
