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Ankalaev was originally scheduled to headline UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 in a light heavyweight matchup against Khalil Rountree. However, Guskov stepped up on 14 days’ notice to replace Rountree, who pulled out due to an injury.
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Bogdan Guskov explains why he immediately accepted the UFC Abu Dhabi main event against Magomed Ankalaev
Guskov (18-3) recently revealed that he took less than a minute to give his manager the nod to accept the booking against Ankalaev (20-2). He wasn’t the only fighter approached by the UFC to replace Rountree.
Guskov was originally scheduled to fight Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1. Blachowicz revealed that the UFC had also offered him the short-notice booking against Ankalaev. However, the former champion needed 24 hours to figure out whether he could make weight. The UFC decided to go ahead with Guskov instead of waiting for Blachowicz, who is now left without an opponent.
Paulo Costa also confirmed that he was approached by the UFC. However, Costa didn’t find the deal lucrative enough to take a 16-hour flight to Abu Dhabi to fight Ankalaev on 14 days’ notice. Guskov claims he knew from the outset that no one else would accept a short-notice booking against Ankalaev.
“My manager called and said, ‘We’ve got an opportunity. I’m not pushing you. I’m not insisting on anything. Think it over for 24 hours and give me your answer.’ We talked, I put the phone down, and just 30 seconds later, I was like, ‘What is there to think about?’ I called him back right away, as there was nothing to think about,” Guskov told Red Corner MMA. “I don’t need 24 hours to get to the scales and find out whether I can make weight or not, as some other guys. Or the guy who needed a 16-hour flight… So everybody turned it down. And I knew from the start that nobody would want to fight Magomed.”
“I don’t need 24 hours to get on the scale like other guys”: Bogdan Guskov says he needed just 30 seconds to accept the call to step in on short notice and face former champion Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi.
“My manager called and said there was an… pic.twitter.com/k6Sz8qcRrI
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 15, 2026
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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