Magomed Ankalaev OK with UFC Abu Dhabi opponent change: 'No ill will toward anybody'

Magomed Ankalaev was thrown a curve ball before UFC Fight Night 282, but he's ready to knock it out of the park.

Ankalaev, who's No. 2 in the latest Meta UFC rankings at light heavyweight, is set to meet No. 9 Bogdan Guskov in Saturday's main event (Paramount+) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The matchup came about on less than two weeks' notice after Ankalaev's original opponent, No. 6 Khalil Rountree Jr., withdrew because of injury.

"Obviously I was disappointed that Khalil wasn't able to fight," Ankalaev told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. "I was preparing for Khalil, but the fact that I got a new opponent last minute, I wasn't really disappointed by that. In fact, it's the opposite. I'm really happy that I have an opponent, somebody who was able to come out on such short notice and save the fight, so I'm excited."

Ankalaev could've ended up rematching Jan Blachowicz or facing Paulo Costa, both of whom were offered the fight, but it was ultimately Guskov who was willing to answer the call on such short notice.

"Guskov is the only one who didn't hesitate and said yes right away," Ankalaev said. "I understand people. This is professional sports. This is a big deal. To come out against a current ranked No. 1 person without a preparation might be devastating to people's careers, so I totally understand. There's no ill will toward anybody."

Ankalaev, 34, is returning to the cage for the first time since losing the 205-pound title in a rematch with Alex Pereira last October. Guskov, 33, is unbeaten in his past five octagon appearances with four wins in a row and most recently a draw against Blachowicz.

While Ankalaev would've been OK with Blachowicz or Costa replacing Rountree, the fact that he's facing Guskov is just fine with the former champion.

"For me, this is just a fight to be back," Ankalaev said. "It's like a tuneup, if you want to call it. I get it with Bogdan, so to speak, because he is No. (9), so for him to get this type of opportunity, it's definitely life changing. It's a huge deal. He's gonna try to take my number and this and that, but it's gonna be really tough for him to jump out just like that."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Magomed Ankalaev OK with UFC Abu Dhabi opponent change: 'No ill will toward anybody'