One of two debuting fighters at this Saturday’s UFC 311 is light heavyweight Billy Elekana, who faces Bogdan Guskov in place of the injured Johnny Walker. The card features two title fights: Merab Dvalishvili faces Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event, while Islam Makhachev takes on Renato Moicano on short notice to top the marquee.
Billy ElekanaStanding at six-foot-twoFighting at 205 lbs (Light heavyweight)29-years-oldLas Vegas, Nevada, USTraining out of Uprising MMA Training CenterA pro record of 7-13 KO/TKOs, 1 SubmissionPro comp; Dominick Reyes (light)
How Elekana will fare in the UFC
On paper, Billy Elekana appears to be an excellent signing for the UFC. After suffering his sole career loss, he moved up to the light heavyweight division, where he has since gone 3-0. Elekana boasts solid victories over respectable regional competition, including a notable amateur win against Bryan Battle. At just 29 years old, he is entering his athletic prime, making him an attractive prospect for a division in need of fresh talent. With experience in reputable organizations like LFA, PFL, and as a Tuff-N-Uff amateur champion, Elekana brings a strong foundation and potential to make an impact in the UFC.
Watching Billy Elekana fight can be something of a mixed experience. Standing at 6’2″ with a 77-inch reach, you’d expect more athleticism and explosiveness from him, but those attributes seem to be lacking. What he does well, however, is using his length to control the center of the cage effectively. Elekana switches stances occasionally but performs best in orthodox, where he showcases a solid long jab, a sharp left kick to the body, and a well-placed left high kick.
Despite these strengths, his biggest issue is his low volume—relying heavily on single strikes and extended periods of inactivity. Elekana thrives when opponents fight at his pace. If his adversary doesn’t apply consistent pressure, he’s content to stay on the outside, picking his shots and sniping effectively. However, against aggressive fighters who can disrupt his rhythm, he struggles to impose his game plan.
To beat Elekana, the key is to press him backward, which has proven to be a relatively straightforward strategy in the past. He struggles when pushed against the cage and has difficulty creating space to reset. This issue is compounded by his lack of volume, which often makes him hesitant to engage proactively. Elekana relies on solid takedown defense as a pure striker to keep the fight standing. While he has shown some vulnerability when backed against the cage, he uses it effectively to stay upright, fighting for wrist control and underhooks.
Occasionally, he’ll shoot for a takedown, but his ground game offers little upside, as his jiu-jitsu appears underdeveloped. Yet arguably his most significant weakness is his cardio. Even with his low activity rate, Elekana tends to gas out hard after about five minutes. Once fatigued, he becomes much easier to hit and struggles to maintain his defense or offensive output.
At light heavyweight, Elekana may find success in the UFC, as opposed to lighter weight classes which would see his limited skillset more exposed. He has several flaws in his game that make it difficult to expect sustained success at the top level. To me, he doesn’t possess the standout tools you typically look for in a promising 205-pound prospect, and his path forward in the UFC remains uncertain without significant improvement.
How he matches up with Guskov:
Both fighters are likely to engage in a striking battle, which plays to both of their strengths. They match up quite evenly, but Guskov holds a clear advantage in power, while Elekana is the more technical striker. Guskov doesn’t throw with the same finesse as Elekana, but that may not matter if Elekana doesn’t push the pace.
I’m picking Guskov for the win, mainly because Elekana hasn’t faced a fighter with Guskov’s power yet. Guskov is known for being somewhat chinny, though, so after the first round, things could start to get unpredictable. While I lean toward Guskov, I’m not confident in this pick given the potential for Elekana to find a way to exploit Guskov’s weaknesses.
