Bogdan Guskov has publicly stated he wants to share the octagon with Paulo Costa. However, Bartosz Baraniewski claims he agreed to fight Guskov, but Guskov rejected the bout. In response, Gor Azizyan said Guskov initiated the trash talk after beating Kopylov and Azamat Murzakanov, and suggested he needs to be brought down to earth. Azizyan added that if Guskov doesn't accept the fight with Baraniewski, he should stop talking about Russian fighters. The situation highlights ongoing tensions in the middleweight division and questions about Guskov's willingness to fight all comers.
Bogdan Guskov has found himself at the center of a growing public dispute, caught between issuing a callout aimed at Paulo Costa and accusations that he turned down a fight offer closer to home.
Guskov, known as "Czarevitch," holds an 18-3-1 record and is ranked tenth in the light heavyweight division. The 33-year-old from Uzbekistan stands six-foot-three with a 76-inch reach and fights out of GOR MMA. He lands 4.17 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy and averages 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes, though he has recorded zero takedowns per 15 minutes. His recent wins over Roman Kopylov and Azamat Murzakanov gave him a platform he has used loudly.
Bartosz Baraniewski has since claimed he agreed to meet Guskov in the octagon, only for Guskov to decline the bout. Gor Azizyan, responding publicly, said Guskov's trash talk began after those victories and that he needs to be grounded. Azizyan went further, suggesting that if Guskov refuses the Baraniewski fight, he should stop targeting Russian fighters with his words.
Despite fighting at light heavyweight, Guskov has directed his callout at Paulo Costa, the ranked-13th middleweight from Brazil. Costa carries a 16-4-0 record and is 35 years old. He is one of the division's most prolific strikers, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, though the cross-divisional nature of any potential matchup makes the callout a complicated proposition.
Why it matters
- Guskov's refusal of the Baraniewski fight, if accurate, raises questions about his willingness to back up his callouts with action
- The dispute adds tension to the light heavyweight division's rankings picture, where Guskov sits tenth
- Azizyan's public ultimatum puts pressure on Guskov to either accept available fights or abandon the callout campaign targeting Russian competitors
