UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-in results are in, and the full card for Saturday is locked. Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov headline at Etihad Arena on July 25. This matters because Ankalaev is fighting for the first time since losing his title.
Why This Weigh-In Carries Extra Weight
Ankalaev lost his light heavyweight belt to Alex Pereira last October. He needed a fast return to stay in the title picture. Guskov stepped in on short notice. He replaced an injured Khalil Rountree Jr.
This short-notice swap changes the story. Guskov has finished every UFC opponent so far. He now fights a former champion with far more experience at the top. That gap is the real subplot behind Saturday’s main event.
The Full Fight Card Confirmed On Scale Day
UFC, working with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, brought the promotion back to Yas Island for this card. Weigh-ins ran through Thursday night into Friday, clearing all scheduled bouts for Saturday. Every fighter on the main and prelim cards made it through scale day without a change to the lineup.
The co-main event pits Steve Erceg against Ramazan Temirov at flyweight. Erceg previously challenged for UFC gold. Temirov brings unbeaten momentum into the matchup. This fight decides who moves closer to the top five.
Islam Dulatov also weighed in for just his second UFC appearance. He scored a first-round knockout in his debut last year. Magomed Zaynukov made weight for his first walk to the Octagon after winning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.
What Most Previews Get Wrong Here
Most coverage treats short-notice opponents as automatic underdogs. That read misses something specific to Guskov. He already beat a ranked veteran on short notice earlier in his career. Short turnaround does not rattle him the way it rattles most replacement fighters.
Ankalaev also carries a hidden risk. Former champions coming off a title loss often rush their return. Camps get compressed. Game plans get simplified. Watch early output in round one. That tells you more about his readiness than anything from fight week.
Card Timing And How To Watch
Saturday’s schedule runs on a special clock. Prelims start at 9am ET and 6am PT. The main card follows at 12pm ET and 9am PT. Paramount+ carries the entire event live, prelims through main card.
The main event runs five rounds. Every other bout on the card runs three rounds. That format gives Ankalaev extra time to work if he needs a late finish. It also gives Guskov more rounds to test a former champion’s gas tank.
Prelim Card Names Worth Tracking
Valter Walker opens televised action against Thomas Petersen at heavyweight. Dustin Jacoby returns against Muhammad Saidov at light heavyweight. Santiago Ponzinibbio, a longtime welterweight veteran, faces Sam Patterson in a clear gatekeeper test for the younger fighter.
Ismael Bonfim meets Axel Sola at lightweight lower on the card. Nurullo Aliev takes on Mike Davis in another 155-pound matchup. Cody Gibson closes the bantamweight slot against Abdul Hussein, rounding out a deep 13-fight card.
What This Weigh-In Sets Up For Saturday
The Abu Dhabi weigh-ins confirm a stacked light heavyweight main event with real stakes for Ankalaev’s title path. Guskov enters as a live threat, not a name-only replacement. Every fighter made weight, and the full 13-fight card is set for Etihad Arena.
Watch Ankalaev’s pace in round one. Watch how Guskov handles the moment once the bell rings. Those two details will decide Saturday more than anything said in fight week interviews.
Final Takeaway
The real story from UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-ins isn’t that everyone made weight. It is that Ankalaev now fights someone with nothing to lose. Guskov took this fight on short notice, against a former champion, with a finish rate that says he isn’t here just to survive.
If Ankalaev looks even slightly rushed early, Guskov is built to punish that. Watch round one closely. It will tell you who actually controls Saturday’s main event, not the pre-fight hype around a former titleholder’s return.
