10 Fights to Make After UFC Fight Night Ankalaev vs Guskov

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen

Sportz Nation - 7/27/2026

Magomed Ankalaev vs

Carlos Ulberg

Light Heavyweight Championship

Zak Drapeau -

The way the top of the 205-division is set up, the original fight between Ankalaev and Rountree should've been either a #1 contender fight or even an interim title fight. Now that Ankalaev has gone through Bogdan Guskov in such dominant fashion, the only way to move forward is to give him a title shot whenever Carlos Ulberg recovers from his torn ACL injury in April.

Ankalaev has been a huge piece of the 205-division's title scene for years now, but his most recent title loss to Pereira in the pair's rematch has apparently given Ankalaev new meaning, and with it a new training regimen, and the proof is in the pudding because he looked unbelievable this weekend. With a new king atop his division, can Ankalaev once again bring himself to the top of the light heavyweights now that Pereira is gone?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Bogdan Guskov vs

Robert Whittaker

Matt Hylen -

Guskov put together just about the worst performance he could have had in what was the biggest opportunity of his career. He barely threw anything; he seemed okay with getting beat up on the feet and dominated on the ground. Sure, it was short notice, but for a guy who was supposed to fight a week later anyway, Guskov looked severely underprepared.

With that said, this loss shouldn't hurt his stock too much. Going up against the number one contender in the division is no small feat, so I think Guskov should still be in the mix for a high-leverage fight. Fighting Robert Whittaker would not only be a huge chance for Whittaker, but also give Guskov a notable name on his resume. They are both in a similar spot ranking-wise, so the winner will likely get a chance at the top five next.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ramazan Temirov vs

Lone'er Kavanaugh

Zak Drapeau -

BOY OH BOY, Temirov has lightning in his hands for the Flyweight division. Apparently, the Uzbek only knows how to move forward too because the pressure he gave to Steve Erceg was insane. He had some impressive performances before, but this weekend was a new version of Temirov that may be unstoppable.

Now that he beat Erceg and should likely take his #10 ranking, I want to give him someone around the 6 or 7 mark, someone coming off a loss and someone who has some experience fighting inside the Top-10 too. To me, Kavanaugh makes a lot of sense. His career-defining win against Brandon Moreno looked like a bit of a fluke after being dispatched by Royval a few weeks ago, so now he'll need a Top-10 prove-it fight. A meeting between these two young gun prospects to determine a new fighter in the 125-title scene would be appealing to fans and fighters alike.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Steve Erceg vs

Alessandro Costa

Matt Hylen -

I really thought Steve Erceg had a chance in this fight, but boy was I wrong. Erceg didn't stand a chance against the power of Ramazan Temirov, getting knocked out cold for the second time in his UFC career.

Erceg's time in the top ten may be over; he is going to need a step down in competition in order to save his spot in the rankings. Matching Erceg up against a borderline ranked guy in Alessandro Costa would get Erceg back on track if he wins, but also solidify Costa as a contender should he win. Plus, that fight would be very entertaining and likely end in a finish.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Magomed Zaynukov vs

Chris Duncan

Zak Drapeau -

Zaynukov is the latest and probably last pupil of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov to make it to the UFC, and after the most dominant DWCS fight we've ever seen, he absolutely destroyed undefeated Rzepecki last weekend. Some of Nurmagomedov's fighters have been wrestlers and some have been strikers, but at least to this point, Zaynukov may be one of the most complete fighters we've seen from the camp.

Known for his Muay Thai, Zaynukov showed takedowns, kicks, and boxing almost as if he was hitting the heavy bag. As impressive as he's looked, I think the UFC should already give him someone on the cusp of the Top-15. A guy like Chris Duncan had a nice little win streak against some of the upper echelon of the division but lost to his first ranked fighter. A great test in terms of skill and experience, and definitely a test against a much better striker for "John Pork".

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Rizvan Kuniev vs

Gable Steveson

Matt Hylen -

Ok, hear me out. Does Rizvan Kuniev deserve a top contender fight after beating Tyrell Fortune? Maybe, but this fight could also be an absolute banger.

To start, I think Gable Steveson gets the Josh Hokit treatment. Steveson is a big enough name for the UFC to want to push into big fights right away. He had his debut fight and dominated, so I think the UFC will want to push him as far as possible, like they did with Hokit.

Kuniev strikes me as the perfect guy for Steveson to go up against because of Kuniev's unique striking repertoire. Kuniev's use of the knees could really give Steveson a challenge that he hasn't faced before. This is a MAJOR step up for Gable, so it is a stretch, but this seems like the matchup to make should Steveson get that Hokit treatment.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Valter Walker vs

Tyrell Fortune

Zak Drapeau -

I may have predicted that Petersen's wrestling would cancel out Walker's jiu-jitsu, so... yeah, I guess I can give myself a big X on that one. Walker was already in the hunt for someone higher in the rankings before a surprise fight below him, so now that he has a 5th leg submission under his belt, I say it's finally time for a Top-10 fight for the big man.

This fight just so happens to time out very well after another heavyweight lost on the card and will be in need of a prove-it fight next. Tyrell Fortune looked bad in his loss to Kuniev, where he just got struck too many times, so a fight against Walker should be much more welcomed. This fight will show if Fortune has what it takes to stay in the UFC and likely will show if Walker is able to win a fight standing, so I'm all for this one.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Muhammad Saidov vs

Dominick Reyes

Matt Hylen -

Muhammad Saidov looked fantastic in his debut against a tough opponent in Dustin Jacoby. He picked apart Jacoby all fight long until he was able to land a kick that knocked Jacoby to the ground. With this finish against a top ten ranked fighter (according to META Rankings), I think Saidov is in for a big fight next.

With Dominick Reyes' last fight being extremely boring and underwhelming, I don't think the UFC will be eager to give him a step up. So, why not hand Reyes an opportunity to fight light heavyweight's newest ranked contender? It gives Saidov his biggest test yet with the biggest name, while giving Reyes the opportunity to redeem himself after his performance in his last fight and make a statement. Both guys are very dangerous on the feet, so this could end quickly.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sam Patterson vs

Stephen Thompson

Zak Drapeau -

I was very worried about Patterson's future after the stinker he and MVP put on in March, but his performance this weekend has firmly put him back in the hunt. Still only 30 years old and clearly with one of the highest kickboxing potentials in the division, Patterson should get thrown into a fight with another kickboxer on his level to see if he can stay on course with his ascent or if he'll revert back to his shell again.

Stephen Thompson may be 43 years old and hasn't competed in over a year, but he still has one fight in the UFC and wants to finish his deal. As the greatest karate fighter the UFC has ever seen, Thompson would be a good matchup for Patterson and likely one the kid should win, but also a test to see if he has the stones to stand in front of a striker and exact his will or not.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Axel Sola vs

Alexander Hernandez

Matt Hylen -

Axel Sola is back on track after this huge win over Santiago Ponzinibbio. Sure, Ponzinibbio is a shell of his former self inside the octagon, but Sola needed a dominant finish to remind the world just how good he is.

With this win, Sola should be considered one of those fighters who are a fight away from possible ranked contention. Getting a seasoned veteran like Alexander Hernandez on his resume would absolutely put him on track to do so. Sola is one of the most balanced fighters among the unranked, so showcasing his ability against a guy like Hernandez, who is also pretty good everywhere, would do wonders for his career. Plus, Hernandez is coming off a close loss in his last fight and needs a fight down, making Sola a very interesting prospect to match up against.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Other Fights to Make

Damian Rzepecki vs Ismael Bonfim

Abubakar Vagaev vs Santiago Ponzinibbio

Saygid Izagakhmaev vs Another Promotion

Thomas Petersen vs Tallison Teixeira

Dustin Jacoby vs Rodolfo Bellato

Magomed Tuchalov vs Ion Cutelaba

Brendson Ribeiro vs Uran Satybaldiev

Nurullo Aliev vs Alexander Hernandez

Mike Davis vs Francis Marshall

Abdul Hussein vs Said Nurmagomedov

Cody Gibson vs Another Promotion