Magomed Ankalaev earned the win he wanted in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event, but the bigger question after the fight was if his fifth-round TKO of Bogdan Guskov had done enough to earn another crack at the light heavyweight belt. Carlos Ulberg, the recently crowned champion, appears to believe so.

‘Black Jag’ spoke backstage after the event, congratulating Magomed Ankalaev on his victory and admitting he saw enough from the former champion to actually keep him in the title picture.

“Yeah, congrats to Ankalaev,” he said. “I saw what I needed to see, and I will do everything that I need to do to make sure I get back in there.”

‘Big Ank’ had entered the bout with confidence, calling out Alex Pereira and even referring to Guskov as a “tuneup” throughout fight week and saying the No. 9-ranked contender would struggle to capitalize on the opportunity.

“This is just a fight to be back,” Ankalaev told MMA Junkie. “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.”

And although the performance received mixed reviews from fans in attendance and online, Carlos Ulberg noted that the current state of the division offers few standout rivals as he continues to recover from a torn ACL sustained during his title-winning fight at UFC 327.

“You know, the division is a bit shaky at the moment,” he continued in the interview. “No one’s sort of, well, besides myself, as, you know, with the title, but I mean, there just, nothing is sort of dominant at the moment, but I mean, again, congrats to Ankalev for getting the win.”

When asked directly whether ‘Big Ank’ had actually done enough to earn the next title shot, the champion didn’t hesitate.

“Well, I’ve always seen Ankalaev as a top contender,” he added. “So yeah, I think he’s definitely one of the guys that’ll be up next as well.”

But as much as he would consider Magomed Ankalaev a deserving candidate for the title shot after UFC Abu Dhabi, much of the online reaction painted a very different picture from Carlos Ulberg’s assessment.

Fans rip into Magomed Ankalaev despite a fifth-round finish at UFC Abu Dhabi

Despite earning a win and that too by actually finishing the fight, the performance by ‘Big Ank’ left a bitter taste in the mouths of fight fans who desired a much better main event for UFC Abu Dhabi.

“Does Ank think he’s getting another title shot after this? 😂 He’s lucky if the UFC doesn’t cut him after this stinker. What a horrible, horrible fight. Thank you Marc Goddard for ending that garbage fight,” one fan wrote on X.

Another sarcastically mocked those defending Ankalaev’s performance.

“For people calling us delusional for hating Ank, Yeah bro. We’re all delusional. That fight and performance was amazing. Ank def earned a title shot tonight!”

Some viewers felt sorry for the Abu Dhabi crowd. “Just shutting off this main event. Feel for Abu Dhabi they get these boring a– fighters & s—- main events.” Another fan posted, “The UFC should never give Ank another main event.”

Others believed both Ankalaev and Guskov squandered a golden opportunity. “Ank and Guskov had the chance to separate themselves from the rest of the division while Ulberg is out and they decide to put on the worst main event of the year.”

One fan felt Ankalaev’s biggest weakness is his conservative style, “The frustrating part about Ank is you know he has the capability to do some exciting s—. He just plays it so safe.”

Another added, “People will actually tell you Magomed Ankalaev isn’t one of the most boring fighters on the planet btw,” while one more joked, “The ‘Big Ank’ gimmick doesn’t cancel out the boring s—. Even the crowd boos this mf and it’s his own hometown.”

Not everyone agreed with the criticism, however. One fan wrote, “Magomed Ankalaev finishes Guskov in the 5th round!!! Complete shut out & domination. The Dagestani haters will hate on the performances. Sorry Ank doesn’t go to war with the #9 ranked guy like Alex Pereira does when he’s racking up fake title defenses.”

Another pointed to Ankalaev’s resume instead of the entertainment value, writing, “Another UFC KO for Ank making that 7 KOs surpassing Jon Jones for UFC knockouts. Some people are just delusional when it comes to Ankalev.”

Now, with Carlos Ulberg officially recognizing Magomed Ankalaev as a top candidate, the title picture appears to be shifting in favor of the former champion. Whether fans are excited to see that fight, however, is a completely different conversation at this point.