Daniel Cormier believes Magomed Ankalaev may have put himself back in line for a UFC light heavyweight title shot after stopping Bogdan Guskov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 281 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Ankalaev controlled the fight from start to finish before securing a fifth-round TKO via ground-and-pound, marking an emphatic return to the win column. The victory was his first since suffering a knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 320 last October.
The light heavyweight division has changed significantly since that defeat. Pereira has since moved up to heavyweight, while Carlos Ulberg claimed the vacant 205-pound title with a victory over Jiri Prochazka in April. However, Ulberg sustained a serious knee injury during the fight and is not expected to return until early next year.
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the event, former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier said Ankalaev's finish could prove to be crucial in securing another championship opportunity.
“Ankalaev getting that finish might have legitimately gotten him another opportunity to fight for the UFC championship against the new champion Carlos Ulberg when he comes back.
Cormier also questioned when Ulberg will be able to return following his injury but emphasized the importance of Ankalaev ending the fight inside the distance.
“(Ulberg) says that he wants to be back early next year. I don't know how likely that is with the knee injury he had, but we will see. However, it was insanely important for Ankalaev to get a finish tonight, and he did that in the fifth round, ground and pound.”
With Ulberg sidelined for the foreseeable future, Ankalaev's dominant performance over Guskov has strengthened his case to challenge for the light heavyweight championship once the titleholder is cleared to compete again.
