Ankalaev stops Guskov, Tszyu upsets Spence: July 20–26 fight recap

July 20–26, 2026. Magomed Ankalaev stopped Bogdan Guskov in the fifth round in Abu Dhabi, Thad Jean claimed the vacant PFL welterweight title after Shamil Musaev withdrew, Tim Tszyu beat Errol Spence Jr. by decision in Sydney, and Anthony Joshua survived two knockdowns before stopping Kristian Prenga. The next seven days bring UFC Belgrade, PFL New York, and two boxing cards with lightweight title stakes. 1234

Magomed Ankalaev stopped Bogdan Guskov with punches at 2:41 of Round 5, moving to 22-2-1 while Guskov fell to 18-4-1. The late finish capped a fight Ankalaev controlled with long stretches of top position and steady ground work, giving him a clean win over a dangerous replacement opponent. 15

Ramazan Temirov stopped Steve Erceg with punches at 4:21 of Round 1. Temirov moved to 20-3, while Erceg dropped to 14-5. Sam Patterson also stopped Santiago Ponzinibbio with punches at 3:06 of Round 2, and Abdul Hussein submitted Cody Gibson with an arm-triangle choke at 3:07 of Round 3 in his UFC debut. 1

Other results included Magomed Zaynukov's 30-27 unanimous decision over Damian Rzepecki, Rizvan Kuniev's stoppage of Tyrell Fortune at 1:12 of Round 3, Valter Walker's calf-slicer submission of Thomas Petersen at 1:32 of Round 1, and unanimous decisions for Nurullo Aliev and Magomed Tuchalov. UFC published a post-fight bonus bulletin and identified Walker for a Performance of the Night award, but the accessible article did not expose the complete recipient list. 6

The main event changed late. Shamil Musaev withdrew because of complications during his weight cut, and Ernesto Rodriguez moved up from the undercard to challenge Thad Jean for the vacant welterweight title. Jean survived the short-notice change and stopped Rodriguez with ground-and-pound at 2:44 of Round 3, improving to 12-0 while Rodriguez fell to 11-2. 78

Rafael Xavier stopped Tyson Pedro with elbows at 4:59 of Round 1. Rasul Magomedov beat Sullivan Cauley by unanimous decision, 29-28 on all cards, and Eliezer Kubanza submitted Chris Mixan with a D'Arce choke at 2:34 of Round 2. The event also produced a 30-26 unanimous decision for Nkosi Ndebele over Brandon Davis and a second-round rear-naked-choke submission for Coby Bradford over Chad Yard. 2

Tim Tszyu beat Errol Spence Jr. by unanimous decision, 117-111, 118-110 and 117-111, in a 12-round middleweight bout at Afterpay Arena in Sydney. Tszyu moved to 28-3; Spence fell to 28-2. Spence had not fought since his 2023 stoppage loss to Terence Crawford, while Tszyu's win made it three straight victories since his rematch loss to Sebastian Fundora. The scorecards were wide, but the result gives Tszyu a strong answer after his recent setbacks. 3

Anthony Joshua's return was far less tidy. He was knocked down twice in the opening round, then stopped Kristian Prenga at 2:43 of Round 2. Joshua moved to 30-4 with 27 knockouts; Prenga dropped to 20-2 with 20 knockouts. The win sets up a reported November meeting with Tyson Fury, who had already beaten 46-year-old Mariusz Wach by stoppage after Wach's corner pulled him out at the end of Round 7 in a non-televised heavyweight bout in Pattaya. 49

Joshua's card also produced two world-title defenses. Hamzah Sheeraz retained the WBO super middleweight title against Simon Zachenhuber by majority decision, 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114, moving to 24-0-1 while Zachenhuber fell to 29-2. Josh Kelly kept the IBF super welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Caoimhin Agyarko, 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112. 410

Paulo Aokuso added the week's other recorded belt change, knocking out Luis Antonio Tejeda at 0:21 of Round 10 to win the vacant IBF Pan Pacific light heavyweight title. At Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Edgar Berlanga stopped Steven Butler at 1:14 of Round 7 after being dropped late in Round 2. Berlanga moved to 24-2 with 19 knockouts and said he wanted another shot at the division's larger names, including a rematch with Sheeraz. 311

All times below are Eastern. Cards can still change, especially on prelims. The table lists the confirmed headline bouts and the most important stakes available at publication.

UFC Belgrade is the clearest MMA angle: Medic is the home fighter and the market favorite. MMAOddsBreaker listed opening odds of Medic -500 and Rodriguez +375, while Best Fight Odds showed later comparison lines ranging roughly from Medic -355 to -400 and Rodriguez +250 to +335. Those lines can move before Saturday. 1718

Boxing's best title density is in Las Vegas, where both lightweight belts are in play, while Dublin offers another title fight rather than a showcase bout. 131516