Abdul Hussein defeats Cody Gibson by Submission
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov
Round 3 · 3:07
Gibson vs Hussein — Bantamweight · UFC Fight Night
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Gibson threatened with a series of chokes in the opening round.
Hussein hurt Gibson early in round two and controlled the remainder of it on the canvas.
Hussein stung Gibson by the fence in round three, took him down, and found the arm-triangle finish.
- Official UFC resultsUFC Abu Dhabi — Preliminary Card Results
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: DFS By The Numbers called it; Keith Shillan called it; Ben Duffy called it; AJ called it; Michael Chiesa called it; JakeGerberMMA called it; HopperoMMA called it; Bedtime MMA called it; We Want Picks called it.
9 of 9 nailed it.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Full analyst picks ↓
DFS By The Numbers Betting deskAnalyst called 60 of 88 DFS By The Numbers: predicted Hussein · Sub · R2. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Backs Hussein's power, wrestling and grappling against a 38-year-old Gibson he sees as hittable, slowing down and prone to ground mistakes.
Track record: winner called in 60 of 88 resolved picks, 23 a perfect call.
Keith Shillan Analyst called 11 of 15 Keith Shillan: predicted Hussein · KO/TKO · R1. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Expects Hussein to exploit Gibson's lack of speed and fluidity by entering the pocket to hurt him or take him down.
Track record: winner called in 11 of 15 resolved picks, 7 a perfect call.
Ben Duffy Analyst called 13 of 16 Ben Duffy: predicted Hussein · Decision. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Sees Hussein as the better all-around fighter, with clean shots and takedowns overcoming Gibson's size, but does not expect a finish.
Track record: winner called in 13 of 16 resolved picks, 8 a perfect call.
AJ Betting deskAnalyst called 52 of 71 AJ: predicted Hussein · to win. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Favors Hussein's speed, power and grappling over a 38-year-old Gibson, while acknowledging Gibson could make the opening round difficult.
Track record: winner called in 52 of 71 resolved picks, 25 a perfect call.
Michael Chiesa AnalystFighter called 29 of 42 Michael Chiesa: predicted Hussein · to win. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Names Hussein as his preliminary-card pick without a method call.
Track record: winner called in 29 of 42 resolved picks, 1 a perfect call.
JakeGerberMMA Analyst called 44 of 62 JakeGerberMMA: predicted Hussein · to win. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Names Abdul Hussein as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 44 of 62 resolved picks, 10 a perfect call.
HopperoMMA Analyst called 41 of 65 HopperoMMA: predicted Hussein · to win. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Names Abdul Hussein as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 41 of 65 resolved picks, 15 a perfect call.
Bedtime MMA Analyst called 67 of 99 Bedtime MMA: predicted Hussein · to win. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Names Abdul Hussein as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 67 of 99 resolved picks, 28 a perfect call.
We Want Picks Betting desk called 55 of 87 We Want Picks: predicted Hussein · to win. Actual Hussein · Sub R3. Result: Hit.
Names Abdul Hussein as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 55 of 87 resolved picks.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 21-12-0
- Record
- 15-2-0
- 2-3 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 5-0 last 5
- 180 cm
- Reach
- Not published
- —
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- —
- Source pending
- Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- Not published
- Source pending
- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- Not published
- Source pending
- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
- Not published
- Source pending
- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
- Not published
- Source pending
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
- Not published
- United States
- Nationality
- Finland
- The Pit
- Team
- Espoon Kehähait
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Gibson
Gibson is the 38-year-old UFC veteran opening the Abu Dhabi card. The UFC preview describes him as 2-3 in the five fights since his Fight of the Night TUF finale loss to Brad Katona, making this another chance to turn experience into a steadier run.
Case for Hussein
Hussein makes his UFC debut at 15-2 on an eight-fight winning streak. His latest recorded win was a Boxing Day stoppage of Tyson Nam, so he arrives with recent finishing momentum but faces the first UFC test of his career.
What We Were Watching For
- Gibson's veteran experience against Hussein's first UFC appearance.
- Whether Hussein's eight-fight winning streak carries into the new promotion.
- The early pace after Hussein's recent Tyson Nam stoppage.
- How Gibson responds if the newcomer forces a fast, physical opening.
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