Magomed Ankalaev cemented his position as the UFC's number one ranked light heavyweight with a routine victory over Bogdan Guskov at Etihad Arena on Saturday night.
Ankalaev (22-2-1) was initially frustrated as the gun-shy Guskov declined to engage, but eventually wore him down, and a heavy ground attack in the fifth forced the referee to intervene.
The former champion was competing for the first time since losing his title in a rematch to Alex Pereira at UFC 320 last October, but was largely untroubled as he got back in the win column.
The decisive moment came at the start of the fourth when Ankalaev gave up on striking and took Guskov to the mat. The Uzbek just about survived the round but was fading fast as Ankalaev rained down strikes and came close to locking in several chokes. By that point, the result looked a formality and the stoppage duly arrived midway through the fifth.
“I feel good and I want to say thank you to Bogdan for coming here and saving the fight,” said Ankalaev, 34, who was originally scheduled to face Khalil Rountree Jr.
“He wasn't engaging in the striking, I had to go and hunt him,” Ankalaev added when asked about his switch in strategy. “I was out for a long time, but now I am back and I will start the hunt for that thing I lost.”
Guskov had some joy in a cagey opener but miscalculated a big spinning kick and got caught by a flurry on the bell. That was the best of the early action, and a smattering of boos broke out at Etihad Arena towards the end of the second round.
The third was hardly any better with Ankalaev at one point shaking his head at Guskov, who was continually in reverse, threatening counters that never arrived. Then came Ankalaev's change in tactics as he took Guskov off his feet. It was a smart ploy as his Uzbekistani opponent simply couldn't cope with his ground game.
The sluggish start to the feature bout was in stark contrast to an explosive co-main and the nonstop aggression of Ramazan Temirov.
The 29-year-old flyweight had too much for Steve Erceg and gestured that he was coming for the belt after dropping the Aussie with a hard right towards the end of the first.
“I worked so hard, this knockout, I saw it, and I was ready to do it,” said Temirov, who improved to 20-3.
Zaynukov impresses at Etihad Arena
At lightweight, a battle of undefeated fighters was almost over just as it heated up when Dagestani Magomed Zaynukov caught Poland's Damian Rzepecki with an accidental eye poke.
Rzepecki recovered but struggled to contain Zaynukov, who staggered the Pole with a right hand and a knee at the end of the second. Rzepecki emerged from the next exchange with a cut above his right eye, and Zaynukov showed good variety with his striking as he pulled away in the final round to claim a unanimous decision. “The jungle has a new king,” he said in the octagon after extending his record to 9-0.
Earlier in the night, the heavyweights took centre stage as the number eight ranked Rizvan Kuniev stopped the tough American Tyrell Fortune to move to 14-3-1.
Kuniev pressured from the off as Fortune used counter right hands and leg kicks to deter him. The 36-year-old had some success, but Kuniev still marched forward, causing damage to Fortune's right eye with a flurry of strikes and a big knee.
Fortune was hurt by another knee in the second session as Kuniev showed a good chin when he had to and landed the more telling blows. The end came in the third round as another barrage of knees ended Fortune's brave resistance.
In the opening bout of the main card, Abubakar Vagaev's superior wrestling helped him take a unanimous decision over Saygid Izagakhmaev in a welterweight contest. Vagaev got the nod 29-28 on all three cards but was a little disappointed with his performance, saying afterwards: “I am a better fighter than I showed tonight.”
Wins for Hussein and Tuchalov
Among the preliminary bouts, there was a popular win in the opening fight of the evening as bantamweight Abdul Hussein celebrated a victorious UFC debut.
Hussein, 28, was born to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and raised in Finland and represents both Palestine and Finland.
He overcame a few rocky moments in the opening round to dominate Cody Gibson, eventually securing a submission victory in the third.
There was also a promotional debut win for Abu Dhabi-based Russian Magomed Tuchalov. The 26-year-old had been wiping the floor with the opposition in UAE Warriors, but initially struggled for rhythm against Brazil's Brendson Ribeiro.
Tuchalov admitted he felt the pressure of competing in the UFC for the first time and of doing so in front of a large group of his supporters at Etihad Arena.
After growing into the fight and claiming a unanimous decision on the cards, Tuchalov said: “It is the UFC, it is very different, and I needed a fight like that so I can fight better next time.”
Popular Brazilian heavyweight Valter Walker capped off the prelim schedule by submitting Thomas Petersen with a calf slicer.
UFC Fight Night results
Main card:
Magomed Ankalaev beat Bogdan Guskov by fifth round KO
Ramazan Temirov beat Steve Erceg by first round KO
Magomed Zaynukov beat Damian Rzepecki by decision
Rizvan Kuniev beat Tyrell Fortune by third round KO
Abubakar Vagaev beat Saygid Izagakhmaev by decision
Prelim bouts:
Abdul Hussein beat Cody Gibson by third round submission
Nurullo Aliev beat Mike Davis via decision
Magomed Tuchalov beat Brendson Ribeiro via decision
Axel Sola beat Ismael Bonfim by first round submission
Sam Patterson beat Santiago Ponzinibbio by second round KO
Muhammad Saidov beat Dustin Jacoby by second round KO
Valter Walker beat Thomas Petersen by first round submission
