UFC Fight Night 282 kicks off in Abu Dhabi with Ankalaev vs. Guskov main event
UFC Fight Night 282 began Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, featuring a main-event bout between former light-heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev and short-notice replacement Bogdan Guskov, along with a co-main event and several undercard fights.
UFC Fight Night 282 opened on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, streamed on Paramount+. The main event pitted former light-heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) against short-notice entrant Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC). In the co-feature, ex-flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg faced Ramazan Temirov.
The preliminary card started at 9 a.m. ET, with bouts including Thomas Petersen vs. Valter Walker and Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammad Saidov. Notable moments included Nurullo Aliev securing a late-round armbar against Mike Davis, though the fight ended without a finish, and Abdul Hussein submitting Cody Gibson with an arm-triangle choke in the third round of their bantamweight contest.
"We’re excited to bring a strong card to Abu Dhabi and showcase both established and rising talent," a UFC spokesperson said.
The event continued with the main card at noon ET, featuring the Ankalaev-Guskov clash and subsequent fights such as Damian Rzepecki vs. Magomed Zaynukov and Tyrell Fortune vs. Rizvan Kuniev. Results and round-by-round updates were provided throughout the broadcast.