Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Magomed
Ankalaev has opened up about dealing with his last defeat.

The Russian is coming off his light heavyweight title loss in a
rematch against Alex
Pereira at
UFC 320 last year, and while the result was difficult to
accept, he's now only looking ahead.

Ankalaev discusses recovering from the Alex Pereira defeat
before facing Bogdan Guskov

While Ankalaev had dominantly dethroned Pereira in their first
outing, “Poatan” avenged the loss by knocking out the Dagestani
205-pounder in just 80 seconds in their rematch. The loss was also
Ankalaev's first since 2018, when he was submitted in his Octagon
debut.

Ankalaev admits that it hasn't been easy recovering from his last
loss, which was frustrating. However, the former champ has cleared
his head ahead of his return at
UFC Abu Dhabi. With fresh motivation to return to the win
column, Ankalaev vows that things will be different in his upcoming
fight.

“It's been a long time; I have wanted to come back,†Ankalaev told
Red Corner MMA. “I had some issues, injuries. It's been hard to
return. Everyone knows that the last fight was a frustrating loss.
It's fair to say I was devastated. But I'm back. Fresh thoughts,
cool head, if you will. Now everything is going to be completely
different.â€

Ankalaev (20-2) was originally scheduled to face Khalil
Rountree on July 25 at UFC Abu Dhabi. However, Rountree pulled
out due to an injury and has been replaced by Bogdan
Guskov on two weeks' notice.

Magomed
Ankalaev says he's ready to return with a clear mind and
renewed motivation ahead of his UFC Abu Dhabi bout against Bogdan
Guskov.

“It's been hard to come back. Everybody knows it was a frustrating
loss,†Ankalaev told Red Corner MMA.

“It's fair to say I was frustrated.… pic.twitter.com/QyFYlN8lNJ

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
July 20, 2026

Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Dricus Du
Plessis returned to winning ways at
UFC Oklahoma City.

Nearly a year after losing his middleweight belt to Khamzat
Chimaev, du Plessis returned to action in a five-rounder
against former welterweight champ Kamaru
Usman, earning a lopsided unanimous decision win. The South
African's return made him realize how much he loves and belongs in
the sport.

UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis explains his mindset after
beating Kamaru Usman

“Stillknocks” was clearly on top in the opening two rounds, with
Usman finding his range in the third frame before du Plessis
regained his momentum in the fourth. Usman found a second wind in
the final round, but it was too little too late for “The Nigerian
Nightmare,†who was on the wrong end of a 50-45, 49-46, 49-46
scorecard.

Having spent 11 months on the sidelines coming off a loss, du
Plessis believes that one can forget what it's like inside the
Octagon during a lengthy hiatus. However, as soon as the fight
commenced, he felt right at home.

“Especially when you are away for that kind of time, you almost
forget what it's like to be there, dancing under the lights,†du
Plessis said after the fight. “But man, tonight I just walked out
there again and I realized… This is what I live with… This is what
this is about… This is why I started this game. I loved going out
there and fighting, but more than that, I loved competing.â€

He further emphasized that the pressure he feels in front of
thousands of fans in attendance is exactly what gets the best out
of him.

“I just knew this is what I live for.â€

Dricus Du
Plessis (@dricusduplessis)
was loving every moment of his main event win over Kamaru
Usman and is keen on getting a shot at regaining the
middleweight title. #UFCOKC

Complete Main Card Results âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/dl1etdlxD2 pic.twitter.com/RAlxy8sRIs

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
July 19, 2026

Colby
Covington and Belal
Muhammad’s long-running feud finally boiled over at RAF 11.

Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Muhammad defeated
Ben
Askren on points in the latter’s retirement wrestling match
before calling out Covington. Later that evening, “Chaos” defeated
Arman
Tsarukyan to capture the inaugural RAF crossover
championship.

They had to be separated after the wrestling promotion's Saturday
event in Milwaukee after a heated exchange at the post-fight press
conference escalated into a physical confrontation.

Former UFC stars Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad clash at
RAF 11

Following their wins at RAF 11, both Covington and Muhammad
attended the presser, where the former UFC welterweight titleholder
attempted to diminish the headliner's victory over Tsarukyan.

“He went against a lightweight!†Muhammad said of Covington. “Tell
him to go against a welterweight, somebody his size! Cleveland’s
right around the corner! Let’s go!â€

“Bro, you barely beat the dead guy!†Covington quickly fired back.
“This guy can only score on dead guys and gargoyles. That’s it.
You’re a bum, bro.â€

RAF officials then announced that Covington and Muhammad will meet
in the co-main event of RAF 12 in Cleveland next month, adding
another chapter to their heated rivalry.

“It will be the easiest match I get in RAF,†Covington said. “I
can’t believe they’re going to give me a free win like that. Easy
money. No one’s beating me for this belt.â€

“Let’s see if he shows up in August,†Muhammad replied.

The exchange continued to intensify as Covington threatened to slap
Muhammad, prompting the latter to leap from his seat and charge
toward his rival. Security and event officials intervened before
the two could make contact, though Muhammad threw a kick in
Covington’s direction as the pair were separated. Covington then
attempted to close the distance, sparking a brief scuffle before
both men were escorted from the stage.

Convington recently exited the UFC roster, while Muhammad is on a
three-fight skid.

😲Belal
Muhammad threw a kick at Colby
Covington during a heated altercation at the RAF press
conference, forcing officials to separate the two.

(Via Putt6) pic.twitter.com/hkX1ZW92l6

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
July 19, 2026