Bogdan Guskov

Bogdan Vladimirovich Guskov (born 12 September 1992) is an Uzbekistani professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 29 April 2024, he is No. 12 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Early life
Guskov was born in the village of Dukent in Uzbekistan to an ethnic Russian family. He grew up poor and has been involved in sports since childhood, first in athletics, then in volleyball. Subsequently, he started going to the gym and became interested in street fighting. Guskov's mother was against her son engaging in martial arts, but the aspiring fighter was helped out by his aunt, who paid for boxing and kickboxing sessions until Guskov won a competition and classes became free. He also attended the Dukent Radio Engineering College, where he received a secondary specialized education as a welder.

At the age of 19, Guskov moved to Moscow, leaving sports for 3 years, where he got a job as an installer of ventilation systems, and due to low wages, he began working as a bouncer in a club. He returned to sports at the age of 22, participating in several boxing and kickboxing tournaments. While working at the club, Guskov had the pseudonym "Yugoslav," and his first fights went under the nickname "Hugo". Later, he gave himself the nickname "Czarevitch," explaining that he wanted something unusual. While participating in boxing and kickboxing tournaments, he did not find the same emotions and decided to switch to MMA.

Early career
Guskov made his MMA debut on 20 December 2015 against Biksultan Saburzhanov, where he defeated his opponent in the first round. His following fights took place at various tournaments, such as MMA-SERIES, MPL, FIGHT NIGHT GLOBAL, Gladius Glory Championship, Golden Team Championship, Alliance Fighting Championships, Battle of Titans, Zolotoy Vityaz MMA Golden Knight and Tech-Krep FC. Guskov compiled a record of 14–2 and was riding a four-fight win streak, before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Making his UFC debut, Guskov faced Volkan Oezdemir on 2 September 2023 at UFC Fight Night 226, replacing Azamat Murzakanov. He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Guskov faced Zac Pauga on 10 February 2024 at UFC Fight Night 236. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.

Guskov faced Ryan Spann on 27 April 2024 at UFC on ESPN 55. He won the fight via technical knockout as a result of ground-and-pound punches. This fight earned him his second Performance of the Night award.

Championships and accomplishments

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Zac Pauga and Ryan Spann
 * Silver medalist of the Moscow K-1 Championship
 * Champion of the Federation Cup and silver medalist of the Russian Grappling Championship
 * Champion of the Uzbekistan in universal combat