Magomed Ankalaev won't dismiss a possible collision with Paulo Costa in the near future.

Ankalaev is fresh off his fifth-round finish over Bogdan Guskov in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event this past Saturday. The former 205-pound titleholder was coming off his championship loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 320. It was just the second defeat of the Dagestan bruiser's pro MMA career, but he got back on track this past Saturday.

There has been a lot of talk within the MMA community about Carlos Ulberg's return time frame and whether or not an interim title bout should take place. Ulberg is the reigning UFC light heavyweight titleholder, and he is eyeing an early 2027 return from his torn ACL. Meanwhile, Costa has been pounding the table for an interim championship fight.

During the UFC Abu Dhabi post-fight press conference, Ankalaev said that he's open to fighting Costa if Ulberg won't be returning as quickly as he hopes (via MMAFighting).

“I'm already the No. 1 contender, but as we know in this division right now our champion is hurt,†Ankalaev said. “We don't know when he's going to come back, so if he's going to take a long time to come back, I would like to stay active and I believe I saw something or heard something that Costa wrote something in my direction. I'm not sure what he was trying to say, whether he was trying to bother me or was trying to get my attention, so if it is indeed that the champion's going to be out for a little while, then potentially maybe we can have a good fight with Costa, unless he's going to be running away.â€

Costa made his successful light heavyweight return back in April. He turned in a solid performance against Azamat Murzakanov, earning a third-round TKO finish via head kick. “Borrachinha†now has two straight wins, and he's hoping that a change in weight class will lead him to his first UFC championship.

Should UFC book Magomed Ankalaev vs. Paulo Costa before the end of 2026? Should an interim title be at stake? Let us know in the comments below.

Daniel Cormier wouldn't be surprised if Magomed Ankalaev is Carlos Ulberg's first challenger.

Ankalaev fought Bogdan Guskov in the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner this past Saturday. Ankalaev was initially expected to face Khalil Rountree, but the dangerous striker had to pull out of the fight due to an injury. Guskov couldn't make it to the final horn as Anakalev scored a fifth-round TKO victory.

Having been a former UFC champion, Ankalaev's win could open the door for another title bout. In a post-fight reaction video posted on his YouTube channel, Cormier said that recent movement in the 205-pound weight class might increase Ankalaev's chances of facing the champion Ulberg next (h/t MMAJunkie).

“The light heavyweight division is in a weird place right now because it's got a new champion,†Cormier said. “Alex Pereira is up at heavyweight. Jamahal Hill is up at heavyweight. So a lot of the guys that have fought for the belt are out of the weight class and we haven't seen as many young challengers show themselves to be ready.

“Ankalaev getting that finish might have legitimately gotten him another opportunity to fight for the UFC championship against the new champion, Carlos Ulberg, when he comes back. He says he wants to be back early next year.â€

Ulberg was interviewed by UFC on Paramount+ after Ankalaev's win over Guskov in the curtain closer for UFC Abu Dhabi. The reigning light heavyweight champion said he saw everything he needed out of Ankalaev on fight night. “Black Jag†also said he hopes to return to action in early 2027.

Back in April, Ulberg suffered a torn ACL in his title win against Jiri Prochazka. Fans have discussed whether or not the UFC brass should book an interim title fight before Ulberg makes his return. Former middleweight contender Paulo Costa has made the jump to light heavyweight, and he's been calling for an interim title fight.

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier on Magomed Ankalaev possibly being called on for the next UFC light heavyweight title fight? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.

Anthony Joshua isn't interested in hearing people question his punch resistance after defeating Kristian Prenga.

Joshua competed for the first time since being shaken up in a tragic car accident that killed two close friends of his. He went one-on-one with Prenga at the Jeddah Superdome this past Saturday. Prenga had every intention of playing spoiler, and he even managed to score two knockdowns.

“AJ†composed himself in the second round and sent Prenga crashing down to the canvas with a right hand. Prenga couldn't beat the 10-count, and Joshua was awarded the second-round knockout.

During an interview with The Sun's Wally Downes, Joshua dismissed the notion that his durability should be a concern going into a likely showdown with Tyson Fury (via BoxingScene.com).

“I got back up,†Joshua said. “That happened in, what, the first 20 seconds of round one? Got back up, took a beating, stood the storm, and come back in round two. Boxing's not pretty.â€

Joshua insisted that the knockdowns don't faze him as he realizes there is always a risk when stepping inside the boxing ring.

“If I expect to get in there and expect it to be pretty, I wouldn't get back up because it would be out of my thought process,†Joshua said. “I know it's gonna be tough in there. I know I'm gonna be up against livewires so… It's not so much about resistance, it's about [being] in the ring with strong, heavy-handed guys that are live and they want to come and win. Hit me with a good shot. So what? Roll it off, get up, take some more punches, keep going until it's my turn. Let's see who's tough now. Let's see who's the bad boy. Let's see who's rough and ready. I come out on top.â€

Now, UK boxing is on the verge of finally pulling off Joshua vs. Fury. “The Gypsy King†had his own tune-up fight in Pattaya this past Friday. Fury defeated Mariusz Wach at Max Muay Thai Stadium via seventh-round corner stoppage.

The location of Joshua vs. Fury has been a hot topic. Matchroom's Eddie Hearn insists that Joshua has the fight locked in for England, but the team can be swayed into moving the fight elsewhere under the right terms.

Do you think the knockdowns Anthony Joshua suffered on Saturday should be concerning? Drop your take in the comments below.