Magomed Ankalaev has opened the door to a trilogy bout against Alex Pereira up at heavyweight – if he can get past late replacement Bogdan Guskov in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
Ankalaev, 34, returns to the octagon for the first time since losing his light heavyweight title to Pereira in October last year at UFC 320.
He takes on Guskov, the division’s ninth-ranked fighter, who answered the call to face the former champion after Khalil Rountree Jr withdrew through injury.
Dagestani southpaw Ankalaev defeated Periera for the title in March 2025, but suffered defeat in their rematch last October. He then watched as Pereira vacated the belt and moved to heavyweight where he was dismantled in two rounds by Ciryl Gane last month.
New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg picked up the vacant 205-pound title but is currently sidelined with a knee injury sustained while beating Jiri Prochazka for the gold.
It all leaves Ankalaev in a curious position. A win this weekend will maintain his top ranking but is unlikely to lead to an immediate title shot, while he also knows the money fight is a rubber match against Pereira up at heavyweight.
“My goal right now is to come back to the winning column, to cement myself as a leader in this division,” Ankalaev told reporters in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
“Alex Pereira is Alex Pereira. He's got his own thing, he moved up to heavyweight. My job now is to make sure that I answer all the questions that I have to answer in my own division, at light heavyweight. And then in the future, possibly have a fight with Alex Pereira specifically at heavyweight.”
Ankalaev, who has 20 wins from his 24 bouts with just two defeats, one draw and a no contest, blames injuries for his rematch loss against Brazil’s Pereira. He insists that the best version of himself will have no trouble ensuring their rivalry ends decisively in his favour.
“I don't really like to make excuses or look back,” he said. “Obviously it's well known, there's been reasons, there's been factors, there must have been injuries, so I don't want to keep talking about it. People know, but otherwise, we're talking healthy, I don't think Alex Pereira can win a fight against me.”
First, though, he must get past Guskov and Ankalaev told the Abu Dhabi fans to expect an explosive shoot-out on Saturday night.
“I would like to tell the fans to be ready, to expect an exciting fight,” he said. “We're ready, I'm ready, my opponent's ready. It's a huge chance for Guskov, so they'll see a great, exciting fight.
“I had a long pause [since] my last fight. So, it was important for me to make sure to fight and whoever they're going to put in front of me did not matter. It just happened that Guskov was the one to accept the challenge. I'm expecting that it's going to be a pretty fiery fight.”
Guskov’s respect for Ankalaev was clear throughout his own press conference. He said he regards him as the best fighter in the division, and therefore it took him just “15 seconds” to accept the challenge at a little more than a week’s notice.
The 33-year-old is unbeaten since September 2023, winning four in a row before a draw with Jan Blachowicz last time out. Guskov was in training for a rematch against the Pole when the call came to face Ankalaev.
“[My manager] said that there's an opportunity to potentially go ahead and fight in Abu Dhabi,” he said. “I realised this is a huge step for me. It's a huge step towards the title.
“[My manager] said why don't we think about it for about 24 hours. I hung up the phone and thought about it for about 15 seconds. Immediately, I accepted the fight. I said there's nothing to think about. We are definitely doing it.”
Saturday’s bout will be Guskov’s first time headlining in the UFC, and he is determined to show Uzbek MMA in its best light.
“I'm always happy to raise our flag and I'm always grateful for the support that comes from my country, from Uzbekistan,” he said.
“Regarding the fact that this is the main event, of course, I'm very happy that I showed the way for the younger generation.
“I was born in a small town with a population of 2,000 … and now I'm going to the main event of MMA, the main fight. This is a big motivation for me, and I would like the younger generation to follow it and strive for it.”
