Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight talents Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov will clash TODAY (Sat., July 25, 2026) inside Paycom Center in Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for UFC Abu Dhabi.
It’s been the better part of year since Alex Pereira smoked Ankalaev in their rematch (re-live that here), unceremoniously ending the rivalry in about a minute. Looking back over Ankalaev’s career, it really feels like the 34-year-old Russian should have accomplished more.
He’s been an elite fighter in a weak division for so long, and yet he only has a single title victory? “Big Ank” can begin to right the ship by defeating Guskov, a fairly successful new face in the Light Heavyweight ranks. Since coming up short in his UFC debut, Guskov has won four straight fights via finish and taken Jan Blachowicz to a draw, establishing himself as a dangerous new contender to watch.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Ankalaev vs. Guskov Betting Odds
- Magomed Ankalaev victory: -650
- Magomed Ankalaev via TKO/KO/DQ: -165
- Magomed Ankalaev via submission: +800
- Magomed Ankalaev via decision: +430
- Bogdan Guskov victory: +440
- Bogdan Guskov via TKO/KO/DQ: +750
- Bogdan Guskov via submission: +3000
- Bogdan Guskov via decision: +1600
- Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
How Ankalaev Wins
Ankalaev is a Master of Sport in Combat Sambo who wrestles infrequently despite his clear ability to do so. Primarily, Ankalaev is a Southpaw counter striker with a great left leg and punishing counter right hook, but he can create offense on the front foot as well.
This is a bout between a well-rounded fighter and a specialist. Guskov boxes, and that’s about it; meanwhile. Ankalaev can do it all … yet often chooses to box. In this matchup, it’s important that Ankalaev does not give Guskov the fight he wants. It’s Ankalaev’s responsibility to mix it up and force Guskov’s weaknesses into the light. That means wrestling. It means circling and kicking rather than entering the pocket of his own volition. Ankalaev doesn’t have to be afraid of exchanging with Guskov, but he should make him work very hard and eat shots to even have a chance at a fair trade of punches.
Ankalaev’s left kick should be a big part of his approach, because Guskov is very reliant on his right hand. If Ankalaev is intentionally slamming his shin into the forearm, it will help pin Guskov’s best weapon at home, which should further minimize the chances of a Guskov knockout.
How Guskov Wins
Guskov has an absolute piston of a straight right hand. Placing his right on the chin is generally about the extent of his gameplan, but then, he’s stopped 15 opponents via knockout, so … it’s working?
Against Ankalaev, Guskov definitely has to pressure his way through the kicking range. He’s going to have to feint his way forward and try to draw out kicks then close the distance. In addition, staying in position to fire even when blasted by a hard kick can be an effective way to start boxing — block and return fire right away!
I would like to see Guskov attacking the legs as well. We have seen Ankalaev’s base disrupted more than once now, and Guskov is a decent kicker in his own right. Why not try to chop away at the lead leg and get Ankalaev limping? He would certainly be more vulnerable to the right hand if struggling to manage distance. At worst, adding a right low kick into his attack at least provides something of a double threat to help Guskov feint and land his cross.
Ankalaev vs. Guskov Prediction
This is a hard matchup for Guskov even on a full camp.
“Big Ank” is generally better everywhere outside of pure knockout power, and even then, he’s a good defensive fighter. We just saw Guskov fatigue and lose multiple rounds to an ancient, post-double shoulder surgery Jan Blachowicz.
If Ankalaev is intentional with his strategy, he should be able to break down and tire out Guskov, who has yet to prove himself a genuine title threat.
