The preliminaries of UFC 311 had a bizarre moment after the first round between light heavyweights Bogdan Guskov and Billy Elekana.
Billy Elekana fought Top 15 light heavyweight Bogdan Guskov on Saturday night at UFC 311. While Elekana made it halfway through the second round, Guskov was seconds away from earning a submission in the opening round of the fight.
Guskov, who was scheduled to face Johnny Walker before Walker withdrew due to injury, ran into early trouble against short opponent Elekana. Elekana nearly collapsed into a choke while controlling Guskov's back in the opening minutes of the fight, but Guskov was able to work his way out of it and get back to his feet.
After getting the fight back to the ground, Guskov was given a chance at redemption after his slow start as he had Elekana in foul trouble with a choke attempt through the back. Elekana was about to tap as the first round ended but reached the horn, although she tapped in front of the referee just seconds after the round ended.
It was a confusing moment for everyone involved, and the UFC broadcast team made things even more confusing for the viewing audience between rounds. Elekana's late tag to Guskov's choke was shown on the Intuit Dome's halo-shaped big screen and was met by an overwhelming chorus of boos as the fans in attendance felt the fight should have been stopped.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
UFC 311 prelims feature two taps in one fight
UFC broadcasters Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier questioned why the post-round highlight was even shown on the jumbotron after it caused massive boos and confusion. Fortunately, Guskov would find the finish in the next few minutes of the fight after the controversial ending to round 1.
An exhausted Elekana fell to one knee against the fence with just under two minutes remaining in Round 2, to which Guskov responded by delivering several hard punches to the chin. Guskov sealed the deal by grabbing Elekana's neck with a guillotine choke as Elekana tapped for the second time in five minutes.
Guskov won his third straight fight after recent knockouts against Ryan Spann and Zac Pauga. His UFC 311 win was his first submission win in almost seven years.
Bogdan Guskov tagged Billy Elekana twice at UFC 311
Elekana deserves a lot of credit for facing Guskov on just days notice at UFC 311. His UFC debut came after stints in PFL and LFA.
Meanwhile, Guskov gets another top contender at light heavyweight for his next bout as he continues to climb the rankings. He has improved dramatically since a submission loss to former UFC title challenger Volkan Oezdemir in September 2023.
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