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It wasn’t especially compelling viewing, but Magomed Ankalaev (21-2-1) showed beyond a doubt that he is simply too much for the vast majority of light heavyweights to handle.
In the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday at Etihad Arena, the recently dethroned champ faced Bogdan Guskov (18-4-1), who was promoted from next week’s Belgrade card to headliner duty when Khalil Rountree withdrew from the fight last month. Guskov had the opportunity to jump the line to a title shot if he could defeat Ankalaev, but there never appeared to be even the slightest chance, as the Dagestani dominated virtually every moment of the fight.
The first round was a tense affair, as Ankalaev employed his usual methodical approach on the feet while Guskov constantly switched stances and moved in and out of range, looking for an opportunity to land one of his trademark power shots. The haymaker never came, but Guskov landed enough kicks to the leg and body to keep it competitive. The pace remained measured in Round 2, but Ankalaev appeared to have gotten his reads, as he began meeting Guskov’s entries with sharp counters, and landing two- and three-piece combinations when he went on the offensive. As the round wore on, Guskov became increasingly tentative on offense, leading to virtually no chances to land an equalizer. Ankalaev, perhaps feeling the increasingly lopsided momentum, opened up his arsenal a bit in Round 3, launching a head kick in the very first exchange and a spinning backfist a minute later, even as the Abu Dhabi crowd continued to voice its displeasure at the slow pace.
Viewers who wondered whether they had just been watching the same round on a loop were treated to something different when Ankalaev promptly took Guskov down to open Round 4. That led to a lengthy sequence in which Ankalaev calmly pelted Guskov from half guard at the base of the fence. The strikes were sporadic but stinging, and when Guskov turned aside near the midpoint of the round, “Big Ank” moved to back mount, sinking a hook and battering Guskov’s head with punches and elbows. With under a minute in the round and Guskov offering absolutely nothing, Ankalaev switched back and forth between punching the head and applying face cranks until the horn.
The final round saw Ankalaev pick up right where he left off, grounding Guskov in seconds with a single-leg takedown which he chained smoothly to a double. From there, he resumed the steady diet of elbows and punches from Round 4. Guskov gave a brief scare with a guillotine choke attempt, but it was abandoned within seconds. In the face of the unrelenting assault, referee Marc Goddard warned Guskov several times to move and defend himself, but after giving him ample opportunity to do so, he interposed himself to stop the beating at 2 minutes, 41 seconds of Round 5.
Temirov flattens Erceg in UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event
Returning to action for the first time in nearly 18 months, Ramazonbek Temirov (20-3) reminded us why he is a big deal in the UFC’s smallest men’s division, blowing up former title challenger Steve Erceg (14-5) with first-round punches in the co-main event. The action was furious from the jump, as Temirov hurt Erceg with a spinning back kick in one of the first exchanges, but was overzealous in his hunt for the finish and ended up with the lanky Aussie on his back, looking for a choke. He escaped and both fighters regrouped, though the pace remained very high throughout the first round. As the round wore on, Erceg appeared to figure out the distance first, leading to several minutes in which he marched down the shorter man, keeping him on the end of his punches. However, everything turned on a dime when Temirov planted his feet and crushed Erceg with an overhand right. “Astro Boy” was hurt, but tried valiantly to recover, backing off and covering up. Temirov had no intention of letting him off the hook, however, and when he landed another overhand that dropped Erceg face-first onto the canvas, referee Mike Beltran was there in a flash to prevent any needless follow-up strikes. The end came at an official 4 minutes, 21 seconds of Round 1.
Zaynukov dominates Rzepecki
In a clash of undefeated young lightweight debutants, Khabib Nurmagomedov protégé Magomed Zaynukov (9-0) kept his record perfect at the expense of Polish prospect Damian Rzepecki (10-1). The first round was competitive, with both fighters working through some awkward exchanges in the orthodox vs. southpaw striking. Zaynukov seemed to get slightly the better of them, though he was cautioned for an eye poke and multiple instances of extending his fingers towards his opponent’s face. That dynamic carried over into the middle round, with “Chanco” mixing in a smoothly executed takedown as well. The pace slowed later in Round 2, as both fighters acquiesced in some lengthy clinch exchanges, but Zaynukov ended up doing far more damage, nailing Rzepecki with an elbow that opened a deep cut and appeared to hurt him badly. Things did not improve for the Pole in the final frame; Zaynukov continued to outland him, worsened the cut until the fight appeared to be in danger of a doctor stoppage, and won going away. The judges nailed the two-foot putt, turning in identical 30-27 scorecards in recognition of the Dagestani’s easy dominance.
Kuniev busts up Fortune
Rizvan Kuniev (14-3-1, 1 NC) made the most of his main card billing, hammering Tyrell Fortune (18-4) with an arsenal of close-range weapons in their heavyweight clash. Kuniev was the aggressor for most of Round 1, forcing clinch exchanges and shoving Fortune to the fence, where he unloaded with short hooks and uppercuts. Fortune landed enough punches of his own to keep things competitive, but his few attempts to bring the fight to the floor went nowhere. The same essential dynamic played out in the second round, at least until about a minute in, when Kuniev hurt Fortune with a burst of punches and knees in close quarters, including a body shot that may have injured a rib. The American backed off, hurt, and Kuniev pursued, leaning on Fortune and pouring on the punches. Fortune, to his credit, did not wilt under the assault, shucking Kuniev off and returning fire with punches of his own, but when the horn sounded, the Russian was firmly in command. Likely knowing he was behind on the scorecards, Fortune came out aggressively for the final frame, but Kuniev answered his charges with pinpoint counter punches, intercepting knees and a front kick up the middle that snapped Fortune’s head back. Badly hurt and cut or swollen around both eyes, Fortune went down in a heap under a final salvo of knees and referee Jim Perdios moved in to forestall further punishment, awarding the fight to Kuniev by technical knockout at of 1 minute, 12 seconds of Round 3.
Vagaev holds on to defeat Izagakhmaev
In the main card opener, Abubakar Vagaev (25-4) made a successful UFC debut, getting out early and then weathering a late charge from Saygid Izagakhmaev in their lightweight feature. Vagaev floored Izagakhmaev with a trip in seconds, but Izagakhmaev refused to concede the takedown, patiently using the cage to stand back up. That led to a clinch sequence against the fence that took up the entire first half of the round, but ended with the Chechen on top, dropping short strikes including an elbow that opened a cut over Izagakhmaev’s eye. It was a clear first round in favor of Vagaev, but Izagakhmaev did some damage late in the round with calf kicks, which he continued in the second stanza. The Dagestani was also the first to strike for a takedown that round, though he did not manage any damage or significant advantage there. By the midpoint of the second round, Vagaev appeared to be slowing, whether from the low kicks, the grueling, wrestle-heavy first round or a combination of factors. Izagakhmaev began more than holding his own in clinch exchanges, striking Vagaev with knees up the middle. In the final moments before the horn, Vagaev landed some hard standing elbows that might have stolen the round for him. With fatigue clearly setting in and the outcome of the fight still very much in question, the lightweights pulled out all the stops for Round 3. A couple of tense clinch exchanges took place before Vagaev made the first serious takedown attempt of the round, grounding Izagakhmaev momentarily near the fence before he used a kimura to stand back up. Vagaev dug deep, shooting a double-leg takedown, hoisting and slamming Izagakhmaev near the midpoint of the round. Izagakhmaev promptly swept him, however, and landed in top position, thumping Vagaev with short punches as he moved to mount, then threatened to take his back. Izagakhmaev spent the balance of the fight in dominant positions, transitioning from arm-triangle and armbar attempts to bursts of accurate ground punches, though Vagaev escaped and tried for a last-second submission before the horn. It was a competitive fight throughout, and the judges responded with a trio of 29-28 scores in favor of Vagaev.
Walker collects another foot
Heavyweight foot enthusiast Valter Walker (16-1) continued one of the most improbable streaks in UFC history, tapping out Thomas Petersen (11-5) at 1:32 of the first round. It was his fifth first-round submission win in a row, though his even more incredible run of consecutive heel hooks did come to an end. The fight itself played out very similarly to Walker’s last few, as he immediately tried to bring the fight to the floor with a takedown and, when that did not happen, pulled guard. Petersen spent a few moments in Walker’s dangerous guard before trying to stand out of his first heel hook attempt. That led to a comical sequence in which Petersen crawled across the Octagon floor, dragging the massive Brazilian behind him like a ball and chain as Walker transitioned from one leglock attempt to another. It was a calf slicer that finally elicited the tap, and referee Dan Movahedi stepped in to save the knee ligaments of the bewildered American.
Saidov wrecks Jacoby
Muhammad Saidov (10-0) made a successful UFC debut, upsetting the favored Dustin Jacoby (22-10-1) in a meeting of light heavyweight strikers. Saidov struggled early with Jacoby’s busy and diverse kicking arsenal and was on his back foot for most of the first round, though he stood his ground and caught “The Hanyak” with enough clean counter punches to arguably win the round. By Round 2, the newcomer had figured out the range, and his opponent, and began tagging Jacoby with punches more frequently, as well as landing his own kicks. Still, it was a competitive fight until late in the second round when Saidov hurt Jacoby with a right hand-left high kick combo. He followed the reeling American to the fence, where he unleashed a stream of right hands as Jacoby covered up. Referee Jim Perdios looked on closely, and when Jacoby sank to the floor, he waved off the fight at 4:49 of Round 2.
Patterson overwhelms Ponzinibbio
Youth and size played major roles as Sam Patterson (15-3-1) piled up the damage on Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-10) en route to a second-round TKO stoppage. Ponzinibbio, who turns 40 in September, continued to live up to his reputation as an aggressive, fast starting welterweight action star, wobbling the towering Englishman with a punch combination early in Round 1. Patterson recovered, however, and once he did, his power and enormous reach advantage came into play. Patterson hurt Ponzinibbio several times in the first round, including a flurry late that drew a desperation takedown attempt out of “The Argentine Dagger.” The mauling picked right back up in Round 2, with Patterson again finding a home for his jab, cross and hook almost at will. Ponzinibbio was game, but was rocked badly on several occasions, and when Patterson dropped him with a two-piece just after the midpoint of the round, referee Mike Beltran jumped in for the stoppage at 3:06.
Sola hammers, strangles Bonfim
Axel Sola (12-1-1) rebounded from his first career loss in resounding fashion, thumping Ismael Bonfim (20-7) before snaring him in a tight brabo choke late in the first round of their lightweight scrap. Sola, who dropped a unanimous decision to Mason Jones in his last outing, left nothing to chance—or the judges—as he leveraged his longer reach on the feet and punished the older Bonfim brother’s takedown attempts with elbows and short punches. Late in the round, Sola sprawled on a single-leg takedown attempt and blasted Bonfim with elbows until he went down in a daze. From there, he wrapped up the Brazilian’s neck in a front headlock, rolled with him and forced the tap at 4:44 of Round 1.
Tuchalov outduels Ribeiro
It was not without drama, but undefeated light heavyweight prospect Magomed Tuchalov (6-0) made a successful Octagon debut and kept his professional record spotless at the expense of Brendson Ribeiro (17-11, 1 NC). Ribeiro came out with a confidence, and had success, that belied the nearly 8-to-1 odds in Tuchalov’s favor. Both men landed their share of hard shots in Round 1, but the Brazilian may have sewn up the round by rocking Tuchalov late. Tuchalov got off to a much better start in Round 2, staggering Ribero with a left hand, slamming him to the canvas and going to work there, only to accidentally poke him in the eye, effectively snuffing out his own momentum. He scored with another easy takedown and a flurry of ground punches in the closing seconds, however, sealing up a clear round for himself. The third frame was another competitive affair, and Ribeiro may have cost himself the round—and the fight—with an ill-advised takedown attempt after hurting Tuchalov with punches. Tuchalov reversed him and slammed him to the floor, then rode out the rest of the round without much suspense. The judges’ decision was similarly free of suspense, as all three saw the fight for the Dagestani by identical 29-28 tallies.
Undefeated Aliev grinds down Davis
Nurullo Aliev (12-0) was in classic form, using chain wrestling and top-position grappling to control and frustrate Mike Davis (12-4) for long stretches of their lightweight undercard bout. The first round was a competitive affair, with Aliev applying a relentless wrestling assault that kept Davis either defending takedowns or trying to return to his feet for most of the five minutes. Davis, despite being in reactive mode for most of the round, nonetheless ended up doing more damage from the bottom than Aliev managed from the top. Perhaps in recognition of that dynamic, the “Tajik Eagle” came out for the second frame bent on making his takedowns count, and pelted the American with some hard ground shots in the first half of the round. The result was a round that unquestionably favored Aliev. The final round offered more of the same: Aliev scored his seventh takedown of the fight in the first minute, touching off another round in which the Tajik was the aggressor and firmly in control, but Davis did enough damage to keep the fight from turning into a rout. The final horn sounded on a last-second armbar attempt by Aliev, but the result was a foregone conclusion. The official judges awarded the victory to Aliev by unanimous 30-27 scores, his fourth decision win to open his UFC run; Davis fell to 5-2 in the UFC in defeat.
Debuting Hussein outlasts Gibson
In the bantamweight opening bout of UFC Abu Dhabi, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 34 castoff Abdul Hussein (16-2) became the second cast member to make it to the UFC before the season finished airing. “King” Hussein made the most of the opportunity, tapping out Cody Gibson (21-13) in the third round. Gibson, who accepted the matchup on short notice, took the fight to Hussein right away, leveraging his significant size advantage to push the sometime flyweight around, eventually dragging him to the canvas where he forced Hussein to defend himself from a long series of anaconda and brabo choke attempts. The newcomer did survive however, and closed out the first round on the feet, backing off a rapidly tiring Gibson. The momentum carried over to Round 2, as Hussein dropped him with a hard counter right in the pocket within the first 45 seconds and pursued the finish on the ground. Gibson’s veteran grit and poise then came into play, allowing him to ride out the round, surviving multiple submission attempts despite being visibly exhausted. Gibson came out gamely for the final frame, landing a calf kick that spun Hussein completely off his feet, but could not capitalize, and was swept quickly by his younger, fresher opponent. After a series of submission attempts, Hussein finally snared the fatigued American in an arm-triangle choke, forcing the tap at 3:07 of Round 3.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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