Ankalayev Ties Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC Wins
In Abu Dhabi, the UFC event held greater significance than just a regular victory for Magomed Ankalayev. The Russian fighter stopped Uzbekistan's representative Bogdan Guskovin the final round, tying Khabib Nurmagomedov for the most wins in the promotion.
Ankalayev increased the pressure in the fifth round
The light heavyweight bout took place on July 25 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. After acting cautiously in the early rounds, Ankalayev took control of the grappling and ground game in the second half of the fight.
In the fifth round, the Russian fighter took Guskov down and landed a barrage of punches. The referee stopped the bout at 2 minutes and 41 seconds, declaring Ankalayev the winner by technical knockout.
This result marked Ankalayev's 13th victory in the UFC.
Ankalayev joins Khabib's tier
Before the bout with Guskov, official UFC statistics showed Ankalayev with 12 wins and Khabib Nurmagomedov with 13. Following the result in Abu Dhabi, Ankalayev secured his 13th victory, drawing level with his famous compatriot.
Leading Russian fighters:
Islam Makhachev — 17 wins;
Alexander Volkov — 14 wins;
Magomed Ankalayev — 13 wins;
Khabib Nurmagomedov — 13 wins.
Ankalayev now needs one more win to tie Volkov and four more to reach Makhachev's record.
Guskov accepted the fight on short notice
Bogdan Guskov was not originally scheduled to participate in the Abu Dhabi main card. After Magomed Ankalayev's previous opponent, Khalil Rountree, suffered an injury, Uzbekistan's representative agreed to step in on short notice.
Prior to the fight, the UFC introduced Guskov as Uzbekistan's highest-ranked representative. He had earned all 18 wins of his professional career by stoppage, finishing 13 of them in the first round.
Following the defeat, Guskov took to social media to state that he will not give up and promised to return. The result in Abu Dhabi snapped his four-fight winning streak.
From a defeat with one second left to a historic milestone
The 34-year-old Ankalayev made his UFC debut in 2018 against Paul Craig. Despite dominating the entire fight, he was submitted via triangle choke with just one second remaining in the third round.
Since then, he has evolved into one of the most dangerous light heavyweights, even capturing the UFC championship by defeating Alex Pereira. Although he later lost the belt in a rematch, Ankalayev against Guskovreturned to winning ways with a victory.
Following the bout with Guskov, Ankalayev's overall UFC record stands at 13 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, and 1 no-contest.
Is another title shot next?
The victory in Abu Dhabi keeps Ankalayev among the top contenders in the light heavyweight division. However, because much of the five-round bout was fought at a cautious pace, an immediate title shot is not yet guaranteed.
Nevertheless, the numbers speak in Ankalayev's favor: he has matched Khabib's UFC win tally and has the opportunity to further improve this record among active fighters.
Now the main question remains: will the Abu Dhabi win earn Ankalayev another shot at the championship belt?
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