UFC Abu Dhabi took a big hit when its main event fell through less than two weeks before the card took place. Khalil Rountree Jr. was replaced by Bogdan Guskov, which took a lot of air out of the event’s balloon. This was even accentuated when highly touted welterweight prospect Islam Dulatov pulled out of his fight on the day of the event due to illness. However, the card wasn’t without its redeeming qualities as Ramazan Temirov, Magomed “Chanco” Zaynukov and Rizvan Kuniev all delivered entertaining performances. With UFC Abu Dhabi now behind us, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.
Magomed Ankalaev
Yes, former champion Magomed Ankalaev got back in the win column, but this was the furthest thing from “Big Ank Time”. A pedestrian point-fight until a strange stoppage by Marc Goddard. That was a mercy stoppage, but not for Bogdan Guskov, but rather for the fans, who had seen enough. While Carlos Ulberg still doesn’t have a clear number one contender, the silver linings to his injury means the UFC gets more time to figure out who to throw at him. The promotion already didn’t seem like they wanted to be in the Ankalaev business and this kind of performance is exactly why, so I doubt this win will push the Russian back to the front of the line. Even with Ulberg out for maybe more than a year, performances like these will not renew interest in this division and means the UFC won’t be in any hurry to create an interim championship. The most likely scenario is a simple rebooking of the Khalil Rountree Jr. matchup…unless Navajo Stirling brings new life to this division next week.
Ankalaev’s next fight: Khalil Rountree Jr.
Ramazan Temirov
It was a 16-month waiting period for Ramazan Temirov, but the Uzbek finally got the opportunity to remind people why he had hype behind him when he joined the promotion in late 2024. This man throws with bad intentions and is one of the few flyweights with real one-shot KO power. While he called for a shot at the title, Alexandre Pantoja’s resumé should grant him a shot in his next fight and Manel Kape has done enough to fight for the title as well. That means Temirov will need at least one more victory. This win allowed him to break into the top10, the logical next step is the top five. A main event against Kyoji Horiguchi would test him against an experienced top five name and would show us what he’s got in the championship rounds, should the Japanese be able to take him there.
Temirov’s next fight: Kyoji Horiguchi
Magomed Zaynukov
“Chanco”, “Johny Pork”, whatever you want to call him, Magomed Zaynukov delivered in his debut, showing his array of weapons to win a wide unanimous decision over undefeated 24-year-old Damian Rzepecki. With some clear fan support behind him, I think the UFC would be wise to keep him fighting in front of live crowds. I think bringing him back to Abu Dhabi in October against a name like Alexander Hernandez would be a good test for Zaynukov.
Zaynukov’s next fight: Alexander Hernandez
Rizvan Kuniev
After the way both of their last fights went, most people had a good reason to expect a snoozefest between Rizvan Kuniev and Tyrell Fortune. However, Kuniev made sure things would go down differently this time around. He battered Fortune on his way to a third-round mercy stoppage from the referee. Originally, I had Josh Hokit booked against Alexander Volkov, but after yet another Valter Walker submission victory, I’m quite intrigued by what a matchup between two characters like Hokit and Walker would yield. That change of plan gives Kuniev an opening to face Volkov next.
Kuniev’s next fight: Alexander Volkov
Abubakar Vagaev
The Khamzat Chimaev protégé was successful in his promotional debut, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision over Sayid Izagakhmaev. Despite the win, Vagaev didn’t seem happy with his performance, claiming he’s a better fighter than he showed in this bout. Part of that dissatisfaction might come from the fact that he was originally scheduled at middleweight and saw not only an opponent change, but a weight class change to his fight with only a few weeks to go in his camp. For that reason, I think his next fight should be at middleweight. Why not simply rebook the original fight?
Vagaev’s next fight: Magomedrasul Gasanov
