Guskov reveals Blachowicz and Costa turned down Ankalaev before he stepped up in 30 seconds

Bogdan Guskov stepped up to headline UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 against former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev on just 14 days’ notice — and he says he needed only 30 seconds to say yes, after both Jan Blachowicz and Paulo Costa had already turned the fight down.

Ankalaev (20-2) was originally set to face Khalil Rountree in the main event, but Rountree pulled out due to injury, forcing the UFC to scramble for a replacement. Guskov (18-3) was the third fighter approached, and the quickest to commit.

“My manager called and said, ‘We’ve got an opportunity. I’m not pushing you. I’m not insisting on anything. Think it over for 24 hours and give me your answer,’” Guskov told Red Corner MMA. “We talked, I put the phone down, and just 30 seconds later, I was like, ‘What is there to think about?’ I called him back right away, as there was nothing to think about.”

Blachowicz, who had been scheduled to face Guskov at UFC Belgrade on August 1, confirmed the UFC offered him the Ankalaev booking first. The former champion asked for 24 hours to determine whether he could make weight in time — a delay the UFC was unwilling to accept. Blachowicz now finds himself without an opponent for the Belgrade card.

Paulo Costa was also contacted but declined, telling the UFC the financial terms did not justify a 16-hour flight to Abu Dhabi on such short notice.

Guskov said he anticipated from the moment his phone rang that no one else would take the fight. “I don’t need 24 hours to get to the scales and find out whether I can make weight or not, as some other guys. Or the guy who needed a 16-hour flight… So everybody turned it down. And I knew from the start that nobody would want to fight Magomed.”

The bout now serves as the UFC Abu Dhabi main event, with Guskov entering as a significant underdog against the former champion.