A ranked Light Heavyweight matchup between #10 Nikita Krylov and #13 Bogdan Guskov kicked off the Main Card at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Krylov’s last fight resulted in a three-fight winning streak being broken when a resurging Dom Reyes put him out cold in Round one. Guskov enters on a three-fight winning streak with big finishes in each.
Krylov bounced to the center of the cage to start, using his kicks to dictate the range. Guskov stayed more flat-footed and calm, working his jab off the back foot. Guskov started to enter the pocket more frequently, landing short, quick punches. A big straight right cracked Krylov with 90 seconds remaining as he continued to track Guskov. As he walked into boxing range again, Guskov timed another massive right hand to drop the veteran. He quickly followed up with strikes on the ground, but Krylov stayed moving. However, Guskov kept raining down strikes until Krylov trapped himself flat on his stomach, allowing Guskov to rain down the finishing punches.
The win makes it four in a row for the rising Guskov and marks the biggest of his UFC tenure. The loss marks just the second time that Krylov has dropped back-to-back fights in his career. Guskov will likely enter the top 10 of the division come Tuesday’s rankings update.
Official Result: Bogdan Guskov def. Nikita Krylov by TKO, Round 1, 4:18
