Ankalaev secures TKO victory
Magomed Ankalaev returned to the win column with a TKO victory over Bogdan Guskov in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Saturday. The fight concluded at 2:41 in the fifth round.
Ankalaev, a 34-year-old Russian fighter, faced initial challenges in finding his rhythm during the first three rounds as Guskov adopted a defensive strategy. However, Ankalaev began to find success in the fourth round by taking the 33-year-old Uzbekistan native to the ground and controlling the fight from that position.
He continued this approach in the fifth round, eventually overwhelming Guskov on the mat. This led to the referee stepping in to stop the fight, awarding Ankalaev the TKO win.
Preliminary bouts and notable performances
The event, also known as UFC Fight Night 281, featured several preliminary bouts. In one such fight, Hussein secured his 10th career submission, extending his finish streak to nine straight. This came after a competitive match where Hussein applied an arm-triangle choke on his opponent, Gibson, who eventually surrendered.
Earlier in the fight, Gibson managed to escape a leglock attempt and pressed Hussein against the wall, landing several knees to the stomach. Hussein responded with an uppercut and continued to apply pressure, leading to intense exchanges. Ben Duffy and Tudor Leonte scored the first round 10-9 for Gibson.
In the second round, Hussein attempted a choke, which Gibson frantically twisted to escape. Hussein then secured a brabo choke, which Gibson also managed to tough out, though he appeared to be flagging. Ben Duffy scored the second round 10-8 for Hussein, while Tudor Leonte scored it 10-9 for Hussein.
Another bout saw Aliev facing Davis. Aliev initiated the fight with a single-leg shot, taking Davis to his knee. Aliev then tripped Davis, putting him on his back. Davis managed to return to his feet and engage in a standing clinch, landing shoulder strikes.
Aliev maintained control, executing another trip that briefly put Davis down. Davis then sat up on his knees, with Aliev applying pressure. Aliev landed knees to the thigh and posterior of Davis.
Davis continued to fight back, returning to his feet multiple times despite Aliev’s persistent control. Aliev secured another trip, and Davis established his guard, landing elbows. Davis then rolled to nearly take Aliev’s back, but Aliev twisted to regain control. Davis attempted a triangle choke, using it to land elbows before the round concluded. Ben Duffy and Tudor Leonte both scored this round 10-9 for Davis.
In a later round, Davis pursued Aliev with punches, but Aliev countered with a single-leg shot, dragging Davis to his back. Davis quickly repositioned himself against the fence. Aliev landed knees to the buttocks, some of which were noted as potentially illegal but were not addressed by the referee, Perdios. Davis managed to return to his feet, but Aliev maintained his hold, eventually letting go to punch. Davis responded with a quick salvo of punches before the horn sounded. Ben Duffy and Tudor Leonte both scored this round 10-9 for Aliev.
The final round of this particular fight saw Aliev pressing Davis against the fence, maintaining position by briefly grabbing the fence, which Perdios addressed. Davis attempted to create space and used a knee to push Aliev off. Aliev then took Davis down, landing on top. Aliev attempted an armbar just as time expired. Ben Duffy and Tudor Leonte both scored this round 10-9 for Aliev, with their overall scores for the fight being 29-28 in favour of Aliev.
Looking ahead for Ankalaev
Prior to his win against Guskov, Ankalaev had not competed since UFC 320 in October, where he lost the UFC light heavyweight title to Alex Pereira via a first-round knockout. This previous bout ended just 80 seconds into his first title defence.
Khalil Rountree Jr. was originally scheduled to face Ankalaev in the main event, but Guskov stepped in as a short-notice replacement. With this recent victory, Ankalaev is now considered a leading contender to face UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg when Ulberg returns from his torn ACL in 2027.
Source: sherdog.com
Chloe Tremblay is the Sports Reporter at CasinoNews, covering basketball, tennis and athletics with nine years of reporting experience. She reported on the Raptors' rise and two Olympic cycles. She holds a degree in Journalism from Concordia University. Based in Montreal, she plays recreational basketball and follows track athletics. “The best stories come from the athletes everyone overlooks.”
