Bogdan Guskov Record: 18-3-0

UFC career

Guskov's Octagon debut in September 2023 was a rough one: he was submitted by rear-naked choke in the first round by former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. He responded by doing what he does best – finishing people. In February 2024 he knocked out Zac Pauga in the first round, then stopped Ryan Spann with a second-round TKO that April, a win that pushed him into the UFC's top 15 and made him the first fighter from Uzbekistan to enter the promotion's rankings.

Climbing the contender ranks

Guskov kept his run going at UFC 311 in January 2025, submitting Billy Elekana with a second-round guillotine choke – a notable result for a fighter best known for his hands. That July he delivered a statement, flattening veteran Nikita Krylov with a first-round knockout to extend his winning streak and cement his status as a genuine light heavyweight contender. In December 2025 he stepped in against former champion Jan Błachowicz at UFC 323 and fought to a majority draw, a competitive result against one of the division's most accomplished names.

Fighting style

Guskov is a knockout artist, plain and simple. Every one of his 18 wins has come by stoppage – 15 by knockout and three by submission, a perfect 100% finish rate that ranks among the most lethal in the division. His game is built around heavy, accurate striking and a willingness to swing for the finish from the opening bell, and his BJJ brown belt gives him enough on the mat to hunt chokes when the opportunity arises, as the Elekana finish showed. The honest weakness sits in his grappling defense: his lone submission loss came against Oezdemir, and elite wrestlers who can take him down and control him remain the stylistic threat. But few light heavyweights hit as hard or finish as reliably as Guskov.

Career highlights

• First Uzbek in the UFC rankings — his 2024 TKO of Ryan Spann made him the first fighter from Uzbekistan to crack the promotion's top 15.
• 100% finish rate — all 18 of his professional wins have come by knockout or submission, one of the most dangerous finishing profiles in the division.
• Knocked out Nikita Krylov — flattened the veteran Nikita Krylov in the first round in 2025 to announce himself as a contender.