Ex-UFC Champ Magomed Ankalaev Misses Out on Rankings Bump After UFC Abu Dhabi Win

Several big winners from last Saturday’s UFC card were rewarded in the latest update to the promotion’s official Meta AI rankings.

Taking place at Etihad Arena, this year’s edition of UFC Abu Dhabi was headlined by the return of former light heavyweight titleholder Magomed Ankalaev to take on short-notice replacement opponent Bogdan Guskov.

Guskov was originally scheduled to rematch Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade the following week, but an injury to Ankalaev’s original opponent Khalil Rountree Jr. gave “Hitman” the chance to step up for a massive opportunity in Abu Dhabi.

Magomed Ankalaev & Bogdan Guskov Stay Put After UFC Abu Dhabi Fight

A win would have immediately put Guskov in the mix for a light heavyweight title shot, but it was Ankalaev who largely controlled the action before he finally managed to find a finish during the fifth and final round.

The former champion was a sizeable favorite heading into the UFC Abu Dhabi main event, and he stays put as the light heavyweight division’s #2 contender following the win.

Magomed Ankalaev (red gloves) reacts aftr the fight against Alex Pereira (blue gloves) during UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Guskov also stayed put at #9 after coming up short against Ankalaev, but there was some minor shuffling in the 10-15 spots at light heavyweight with Navajo Stirling (who replaced Guskov and will meet Blachowicz in Serbia next week) and Robert Whittaker moving up one place each.

"A month ago... I didn't know where to get the money to feed my family."

Muhammad Saidov reflects on what it means to earn a victory in his UFC debut at #UFCAbuDhabi.

Prelim Results ➡️ https://t.co/unjXsOEd6u @abudhabievents | @visitabudhabi pic.twitter.com/rEYf8IKcSH
— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 25, 2026

Blachowicz and Johnny Walker each moved up two places while Alonzo Menifield dropped one spot to #14, and Muhammad Saidov also debuts at #15 in the light heavyweight rankings after stopping Dustin Jacoby in Abu Dhabi.

Razaman Temirov Moves Closer to UFC Title Contention

One of the biggest winners at UFC Abu Dhabi was Ramazan Temirov, who extended his perfect UFC record with a first-round knockout of former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg in the night’s co-main event.

Temirov earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his brutal finish, and the 29-year-old now finds himself on the verge of flyweight title contention after just three UFC victories.

Ramazan Temirov knocked out Steve Erceg in the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event. | (Zuffa LLC)

Several top flyweights all moved down one spot each to accommodate Temirov’s rise, although Alessandro Costa did trade places with former title challenger Alex Perez and move up one spot to #14.

Rizvan Kuniev & Valter Walker Climb UFC Heavyweight Rankings

Another potential title challenger also emerged earlier on the main card of UFC Abu Dhabi, as Rizvan Kuniev put on one of the card’s more impressive showings against Tyrell Fortune.

"I want to be a champion."

Rizvan Kuniev collects his second win of the year, stopping Tyrell Fortune in the third round at #UFCAbuDhabi.

Main Card Results ➡️ https://t.co/G3u3aQHGF6 @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/yFDbEDDOj7
— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 25, 2026

The heavyweight bout took home “Fight of the Night” honors, although Kuniev was quite clearly doing most of the damage before he finally stopped Fortune with strikes in the third round.

Valter Valker extended his submission streak in the featured prelim for UFC Abu Dhabi. | (Zuffa LLC)

Kuniev moved up two place to #2 in the heavyweight rankings, and fellow UFC Abu Dhabi winner Valter Walker also jumped up three places to #8 after extending his submission streak to five fights thanks to the calf slicer he secured against Thomas Petersen.

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