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UFC Abu Dhabi results: Magomed Ankalaev fends off Bogdan Guskov with forgettable 5th-round knockout

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3 weeks ago

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UFC Abu Dhabi results: Magomed Ankalaev fends off Bogdan Guskov with forgettable 5th-round knockout

Magomed Ankalaev got back to his dominant winning ways, but he probably shouldn't wait for that championship call anytime soon.

In a UFC Abu Dhabi main event that was occasionally met with boos, Ankalaev put on a workmanlike performance against short-notice replacement Bogdan Guskov before finding a finish in the final round.

Watch Ankalaev's technical knockout stoppage below.

After only a few minutes, it was clear Guskov was not prepared to throw caution to the wind in his attempt to upset a former UFC light heavyweight champion and top 5 ranked fighter. Ankalaev invited Guskov to spar with him at range and Guskov obliged, presenting little danger and allowing Ankalaev to pick him apart on the feet.

Through the first two rounds, Ankalaev had a clear advantage on the scorecards, but that had as much to do with Guskov's complete lack of offense as it did Ankalaev's methodical striking game. The short-notice underdog, known for his hard-hitting knockouts, looked timid against Ankalaev and it only got worse for Guskov as the fight went on. Making matters worse for the Etihad Arena crowd, who were vocal in their displeasure, Ankalaev was content to do just enough to earn 10-9s without coming close to a finish by the end of Round 3.

In Round 4, Guskov needed a Hail Mary finish to win and instead he was grounded and nearly choked out by Ankalaev. The former champion later took Guskov down in the fifth and continued to cruise until Marc Goddard called for a strangely timed—but merciful—stoppage 2:41 into the round.

This was an important win for Ankalaev (21-2-1), who was coming off of a disappointing 80-second loss to rival Alex Pereira in a light heavyweight championship rematch this past October. That was Ankalaev's first loss since 2018, but with his victory Saturday he is now unbeaten in 15 of his past 16 fights.

In his post-fight interview, Ankalaev put the onus on Guskov for the dull contest.

“He wasn't engaging in the striking,†Ankalaev said via a Russian translator. “I was trying to find him and he kept getting away.â€

Guskov (18-4-1) sees a five-fight unbeaten run come to an end after a disappointing performance. The Uzbek standout stepped into the UFC Abu Dhabi main event on 12 days' notice after Ankalaev's original opponent Khalil Rountree Jr. was forced out with an injury. Guskov was originally scheduled to meet Jan Blachowicz in a rematch next Saturday at UFC Belgrade.

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MMA

UFC 330 ‘Makhachev vs. Garry’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Published

3 hours ago

on

August 15, 2026

By

UFC 330 ‘Makhachev vs. Garry’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Sherdog’s live UFC
330 “Makhachev vs. Garry†coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30
p.m. ET.

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

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Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

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Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

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Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

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Tudor Leonte scores the round:
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Round 3

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The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

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Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
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Round 3

Sherdog Scores

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Tudor Leonte scores the round:
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The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 4

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 5

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 4

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 5

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tudor Leonte scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result

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MMA

UFC 330 Results: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry

Published

4 hours ago

on

August 15, 2026

By

UFC 330 Results: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry
UFC 330: Makhachev v Machado Garry - Ceremonial Weigh-in
UFC 330: Makhachev v Machado Garry - Ceremonial Weigh-in

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 14: (L-R) Opponents Islam Makhachev of Russia and Ian Machado Garry of Ireland face off during the UFC 330 ceremonial weigh-in at Xfinity Mobile Arena on August 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

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MMA

Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja have to be separated at UFC 331 press conference: ‘When someone talks, you shut your f*cking mouth’

Published

7 hours ago

on

August 14, 2026

By

Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja have to be separated at UFC 331 press conference: ‘When someone talks, you shut your f*cking mouth’

The rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja has some real heat behind it.

In December, Van took the UFC flyweight title from Pantoja, winning just moments into the fight when Pantoja dislocated his elbow while falling to the ground. Since then, Pantoja has been healing up from his injury, while Van defended his title with a fifth-round stoppage victory over Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May. Now, the two are set to run things back at UFC 331 next month, and at the opening press conference for the event on Friday, things got testy between the two.

“Had that not happened, I would have still whooped his ass that day,†Van said when asked about the injury that awarded him the title. “So September 19, it's just another opportunity for me to whoop his ass again.â€

“I think he needs to wash his mouth,†Pantoja replied. “I respect where I'm from. I'm from Brazil. In Brazil, you need to take care about what you talk. If not, maybe you lose your teeth.â€

Things only heated up from there as Van interrupted Pantoja while he was giving a long answer about what this fight means to him and his history in the division.

“Bro, talk about the fight on September 19,†Van said. “We're not here for your story, bro. We're here for the fight.

“Hey kid, when someone talks, you shut your f*cking mouth,†Pantoja responded. “You understand that?â€

“Shut up. What you gonna do about it?â€

In response to this, Pantoja stood up and started to walk across the dais toward Van, before security intervened to sit him back down, with Van mocking him the whole time.

“You ain't doing shit,†Van said. “Sit your ass down. Sit your ass down; you ain't doing shit. Somebody get him some milk.â€

“Hey kid, September 19, you're gonna be locked in the octagon with me,†Pantoja replied.

This is a new look from Van, who seemed to enjoy needling Pantoja and trying to rile him up. But for the former flyweight champion, this just looked like Van pretending to be something he's not.

“Nothing about Joshua surprises me,†Pantoja said. “He tries to make this character, tries to be the tough guy, but what I see, he's just a fraidy cat. He's afraid.â€

“I ain't afraid of shit,†Van responded.

“Oh, I'm so tough,†Pantoja mocked.

“My name is Fearless,†Van said. “I ain't scared of you.â€

The two then had their first faceoff for this fight, where things remained fiery, with both men jawing at each other and Dana White having to keep them apart.

UFC 331 takes place on Sep. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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