Overview
- Magomed Ankalaev finished Bogdan Guskov by fifth‑round TKO in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event on Saturday, handing Ankalaev a late stoppage win.
- Fans and media voiced displeasure at the fight’s low output, with the crowd booing across the bout and commentators calling the match lackluster.
- Guskov, who accepted the fight on roughly 14 days’ notice after Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew, apologized on social media and said he will learn and come back stronger.
- Ankalaev and analysts including Chris Weidman defended the performance, saying Guskov spent most of the fight on the back foot and that referee Marc Goddard’s fifth‑round stoppage was a mercy to end a stalled contest.
- With champion Carlos Ulberg sidelined by a knee injury, matchmakers are weighing rebooks and contender routes for Ankalaev and Guskov, and the result leaves the division’s title path unresolved.