UFC light heavyweight contender Bogdan Guskov is being blamed for a boring fight that took place in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event.
Guskov lost via fifth-round TKO to Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner. It was more-or-less a mercy stoppage, as referee Marc Goddard saved the fans from watching any more of the dull fight between the two light heavyweights.
While Ankalaev has been blamed by fans online for the boring fight, a UFC Hall of Famer believes that it’s Guskov’s fault for how bland the fight was.
Chris Weidman Blames Bogdan Guskov for UFC Abu Dhabi Main Event
Speaking on the “Deep Waters” podcast, Chris Weidman blamed Guskov for why the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner played out the way that it did, not Ankalaev.
“I think (Ankalaev is) as good as we always thought he was. I think he’s very good, and so you want to see him go out there and just dominate this guy. The first couple of rounds, I think he was taking his time. The third round, I think he made a decision, realized that Bogdan isn’t going to, like, throw at him crazy and go to war with him. He tried to push the pace, he tried to look for the finish, and Guskov was running from him. He shot for a takedown and took him down super easy, ends up getting the finish by TKO. It wasn’t a super exciting fight, but I don’t think this one was his fault. I think it was Guskov’s fault,” Weidman said, while doubling down on his defense of Ankalaev (via MMAFighting.com).
“I don’t think it was his fault. First couple rounds, five-round fight, you do have to pace yourself a little bit, feel it out. But he dominated the fight everywhere. This was the first time seeing him wrestle in a long time, and he looked great in the wrestling department.
”You know what’s crazy, we’re talking about this guy like it’s a negative. He finished a guy who’s very dangerous, so you’ve got to give him props. I feel like we’re being harder on him than most people because I think we realize he’s that good. The guy goes out there and gets a finish, and we’re still saying it was boring.”
What’s Next for Bogdan Guskov?
After losing to Ankalaev in the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner, it will be interesting to see what the UFC matchmakers do with Guskov next.
Heading into this fight, he had gone undefeated in five fights in a row and was closing in on the light heavyweight division’s elite. But it is pretty clear based on how this fight went that he is not yet ready for the top fighters at 205 lbs.
For his next fight, the UFC could potentially rebook Guskov against Jan Blachowicz, whom he was originally set to fight at UFC Belgrade before he was given this fight with Ankalaev, or someone else in the back half of the top 15 rankings at LHW.
Bogdan Guskov Blamed for Boring UFC Abu Dhabi Main Event