A fighter’s story can sometimes hit as hard as their punches, and Bogdan Guskov’s rise to UFC contention is one of those tales that makes you pause and ask: how did a welder from a small Uzbek village become a knockout threat on the sport’s biggest stage?

Guskov enters UFC 323 with 18 professional wins, a 75%% knockout rate inside the Octagon, and a reputation for finishing opponents before they ever settle into the fight. But long before the world saw ‘Czarevitch’ under the bright lights, his journey began in a place far removed from Las Vegas or any MMA hub.

Where was Bogdan Guskov born and raised?

Guskov’s story starts in Dukent, a small village in Uzbekistan, where he was born on 12 September 1992. Born to an ethnic Russian family, he grew up in poverty and spent his early years bouncing between sports, first athletics, then volleyball, before his curiosity pulled him toward the local gym. Street fighting also played a part in shaping the young athlete’s competitive instinct.

His mother opposed the idea of martial arts, thinking it would lead him into trouble, but his aunt stepped up to cover his boxing and kickboxing classes. Once Guskov began winning competitions, those classes became free. Like many young men in the region, he pursued a trade as well, attending Dukent Radio Engineering College and earning a specialized education as a welder.

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But life took a major turn at 19. Guskov moved to Moscow, leaving sports entirely for three years while working as a ventilation system installer. Low pay pushed him into bouncing at nightclubs, his first taste of the hard environments that would later color his fighting persona.

Before long, though, the pull of combat sports was too strong to ignore. And that shift leads directly into his ethnic identity and his early development as a fighter.

What is Bogdan Guskov’s ethnicity and combat sports background?

Despite being born in Uzbekistan, Guskov identifies ethnically as Russian, and much of his upbringing reflects that cultural heritage. 

In his UFC.com Q&A, he explained, “I started training at the age of eight in order to be able to protect myself and my family if needed. Another reason why I started this sport is because of adrenaline. I love and thrive in adrenaline.”

Those early motivations eventually carried him into competitive boxing, kickboxing, and later MMA, where he became:

•         Master of Sports in Boxing
•         Master of Sports in MMA
•         Uzbekistan National Kickboxing Champion
•         K-1 Moscow silver medalist
•         MMA Champion of Uzbekistan
•         Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt

These accomplishments paved the way for his 2015 MMA debut, where he knocked out Biksultan Saburzhanov in the first round. From there, he racked up wins across promotions such as Tech-Krep FC, Fight Night Global, MMA Series, Alliance Fighting Championships, and more.

But Bogdan Guskov’s path wasn’t only built in the gym. A big part of his journey comes from the life he lived before MMA ever paid the bills.

How Guskov went from welder and bouncer to UFC knockout artist

Before the UFC came calling, he was working late nights handling rowdy crowds, carrying the nickname ‘Yugoslav’ as he broke up fights instead of headlining them. That environment fed his appetite for adrenaline, but he quickly realized that real competition had far more meaning. 

As he put it to UFC.com, “It means the world to me, my whole life. I trained for this moment, and now I get to showcase my talent in front of the whole world on the biggest platform that is available in the world of fighting. UFC is my chance to show the world who I am.”

Once he returned to sports at 22, everything changed. Bogdan Guskov compiled a 14–2 record, went on a four-fight win streak, and built a highlight reel full of violent knockouts. His uppercut became a signature weapon, something he lists as his favorite striking technique, while the anaconda choke tops his grappling arsenal.

Eventually, the UFC recognized the raw power and unique backstory behind “Czarevitch,” bringing him into a division already stacked with killers. Now, ahead of his high-stakes bout with former champion Jan Błachowicz at UFC 323, Bogdan Guskov finally gets the stage he spent his entire life fighting toward!