Magomed Ankalaev believes he is at the ideal moment to face Paulo Borrachinha , although he also sees signs of apprehension on the part of the Brazilian. Back in the octagon at UFC Abu Dhabi , held last Saturday (25), the Russian dominated Bogdan Guskov in the main fight and reinforced his position in the race for the belt.
In a press conference, Ankalaev analyzed the light heavyweight division (up to 93 kg) scenario and pointed out that, with the absence of Carlos Ulberg , the current champion who is injured and without a return date, a possible confrontation against Borrachinha would be the ideal path to get closer to a title fight.
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“We don’t know when our champion ( Carlos Ulberg ) will return. If he’s going to be out for a long time, I’d like to stay active. So, if the champion really is going to be out, maybe we can have a good fight with Costa ( Paulo Borrachinha ), unless he’s the one who’s running away,” said Magomed Ankalev.
Magomed Ankalaev dominates Bogdan Guskov, but bores audience at UFC Abu Dhabi
Having not fought since his loss to Alex Poatan at UFC 320 in October 2025, Magomed Ankalaev returned to action at UFC Abu Dhabi against Bogdan Guskov . Despite leaving no doubt about his superiority, the Russian failed to excite the fans.
Ankalaev controlled Guskov for four rounds with little action and, only in the fifth round, already under boos from the crowd, managed to secure a technical stoppage via ground and pound, more due to his opponent's fatigue than to the damage caused by his own strikes.
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