UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov DFS Picks & Prop Market Predictions for Saturday, July 25, 2026
The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for the first time this calendar year with UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov. The 13-fight card gets underway at 9 a.m. ET, streaming exclusively on Paramount+. The event follows last week’s Fight Night in Oklahoma City, which featured the middleweight clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman. This week, Magomed Ankalaev steps back into the octagon for the first time since losing the Light Heavyweight title to Alex Pereira last October. After some uncertainty around his opponent, the UFC has settled on Uzbekistan’s Bogdan Guskov, who will look to extend his five-fight unbeaten run against the former champion.
The co-main event features former lightweight title challenger Steve Erceg taking on fellow Uzbekistan native Ramazan Temirov, who will look to remain perfect through his third UFC fight. It is one of the only pick ’em bouts on the card, with all other fights carrying significant favorites as of Friday evening. Here are the best props on the card and the underdog options worth considering for your DFS lineups at UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov.
Magomed Tuchalov vs. Brendson Ribeiro – Magomed Tuchalov To Win and Under 0.5 Rounds (+200)
Tuchalov makes his highly anticipated UFC debut with a 100% finish rate across his first six professional fights. The Russian will look for another early stoppage against Brazilian Brendson Ribeiro, who has now lost three consecutive bouts by KO or submission. Tuchalov enters as one of the card’s biggest favorites and is widely expected to end the fight within the opening five minutes.
The under 0.5 rounds requires Tuchalov to finish Ribeiro before the 2:30 mark of the first round. Ribeiro’s last three fights have all ended before that point, and Tuchalov will certainly look to make it four. Only two of his six finishes have come inside two and a half minutes, but at this price the value is well worth taking a shot on.
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sam Patterson – Sam Patterson To Win By KO/TKO/DQ (+110)
Veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio faces an up-and-coming contender in Sam Patterson on Saturday evening. The 39-year-old has shown signs of decline, going 3-6 in his last nine fights with three of those losses coming by knockout. He now faces one of the more dangerous fighters in the welterweight division.
Patterson arrives at his eighth UFC fight with all five of his promotional victories coming by knockout or submission. The Englishman has a 92.8% finish rate across his 14 career wins and will look to add another against a Ponzinibbio who has shown chin vulnerabilities in recent outings. Look for Patterson to wear the veteran down and find the finish later in the fight — three of Ponzinibbio’s four UFC knockout losses have come in the second round or later.
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov – Magomed Ankalaev Total Significant Strikes Landed: 45+ (+105)
Ankalaev will look to bounce back with a dominant performance against Guskov following his second UFC loss last October. The former Light Heavyweight champion has been finished twice in his career and now faces a knockout artist in Guskov, who has 15 career stoppages and had finished four straight opponents before drawing with Jan Błachowicz in December.
Ankalaev will look to replicate the formula that earned him the belt. The Russian secured six wins by decision — including a five-round victory over Pereira in their first meeting — utilizing his grappling and fight IQ to build a 14-fight unbeaten streak. During that run, he averaged 2.59 significant strikes per minute at 53% accuracy, and landed 73.67 significant strikes per fight across the three bouts leading into his most recent loss to Pereira.
Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov DFS Picks
Rizvan Kuniev headlines our DFS lineup for UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov. The Russian heavyweight enters as one of the card’s biggest favorites in just the fourth fight of his UFC career. Kuniev bounced back from his first promotional loss with a unanimous decision win earlier this year and now takes on Tyrel Fortune, making his second UFC appearance at 36 years old. Kuniev holds the height advantage and has historically out-struck his opponents throughout the early stages of his career.
Axel Sola is our second selection, looking to bounce back from the first loss of his career earlier this year. The Frenchman was a perfect 11-0 with seven finishes by KO or submission before his lightweight bout with Mason Jones in March. Sola enters as a significant favorite over Ismael Bonfim, who has lost three of his last four fights by KO or submission. Sola has the power to hand Bonfim a third straight stoppage loss and pick up big DFS points with an early finish.
Muhammad Said makes his UFC debut on Saturday against veteran Dustin Jacoby, looking to keep his perfect record intact. Said enters at 9-0 with eight wins by early stoppage and is considered the underdog against the 38-year-old, who is coming off three straight KO victories. A win over Jacoby — who had lost four of five fights before that streak — would immediately put Said on the map in the light heavyweight division.
Mike Davis is our second underdog, with the 33-year-old chasing his fifth promotional win on Saturday evening. He takes on undefeated Nurullo Aliev in the 25-year-old’s fifth UFC appearance, having won his last three by decision. Aliev has just two knockout victories in his career, making Davis the more dangerous striker of the two. His most recent knockout was the eighth of his career, and even as the underdog, he has the power to end this one early.
Erceg continues his road back to title contention following his flyweight title loss to Alejandro Pantoja in 2024. After dropping his next two fights, he got back on track in August 2025 and extended his winning streak to two with a victory earlier this year. He will now look for a third straight win against Temirov, holding a significant height and reach advantage over the Uzbekistan native who prefers to stand and trade. Erceg will need to manage distance against the speedy Temirov and accumulate enough volume to secure another decision victory.
The final fighter in our lineup is welterweight Abubakar Vagaev, making his UFC debut against Saygid Izakhmaev. Izakhmaev lost his UFC debut last year and now faces the former AFC Welterweight Champion in his second promotional appearance. Vagaev is known for his wrestling, pressure, and control time — Merab Dvalishvili-esque— and should look to grind out this fight with elite cardio and fence-pinning technique.
Photo Credit: REUTERS
