Ankalaev Returns With 5th-Round TKO, Sets Sights on Lost Title

Magomed Ankalaev is back in the win column, and he isn't wasting time on subtlety about what comes next. The former light heavyweight champion returned Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and stopped ninth-ranked Bogdan Guskov by ground-and-pound at 2:41 of the fifth round, capping his first outing in nine months. The win pushes the 34-year-old Russian to 21-1-2 with one no-contest and keeps him firmly at No. 1 in the division.

It was Ankalaev's first fight since October's UFC 320, where Alex Pereira took the belt off him with punches and elbows for a TKO. This one went the other way. Ankalaev controlled from the opening bell — jabs, front kicks, the occasional overhand hook — and kept the ninth-ranked Guskov (33, Uzbekistan) backpedaling for four rounds before the takedowns changed everything.

Once the fight hit the mat, it was academic. Ankalaev secured a takedown in the fourth to establish a lopsided lead, then repeated the trick in the fifth. From the back, his punches poured in until Guskov stopped defending himself and referee waved it off.

Costa or Bust

Afterward, Ankalaev thanked Guskov for stepping in on short notice for an injured Khalil Rountree Jr., and explained the game plan simply: Guskov wanted no part of a striking match, so Ankalaev kept hunting the takedown while his opponent kept slipping free. Then he made his real intentions clear — he needed the win after so long off, and now he's going to go hunt down what he lost.

The problem is the belt isn't available. Current champion Carlos Ulberg is recovering from surgery on a torn right ACL, which throws the timeline into doubt. Ankalaev said at the press conference that if Ulberg can't return soon, sixth-ranked Paulo Costa is a real option. Costa, for his part, took to social media promising to save the division from boredom. Ankalaev shrugged it off — he isn't sure whether Costa's trying to annoy him or just get his attention, but figured they'd put on a good fight as long as Costa doesn't run.

The co-main gave the crowd a highlight reel. Ramazan Temirov (20-2) blitzed former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg, dropping the 10th-ranked Australian with a right overhand, flooring him again with a left hook, and finishing with a barrage of overhands that left Erceg face-down on the canvas at 4:21 of the first. Temirov called for anyone next and declared he's ready to become flyweight champion — trained for three hard rounds, he said, but he knew the KO was coming.

Temirov and Walter Walker split Performance of the Night honors, while Rizvan Kuniev's clash with Tyrell Fortune earned Fight of the Night. It was a clean night for the region's talent — and for Ankalaev, a reset button hit on the way to a title he plainly refuses to consider gone for good.