Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev will make his return to the Octagon in a main event clash against perennial contender Khalil Rountree Jr. at the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi card on July 25 from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
This is according to an initial report by Russian MMA news outlet, VestnikMMA, which was later corroborated.
Ankalaev, 33, is coming off a massive title fight loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 320 back in Oct. 2025. It took “Poatan” just 80 seconds to stop Ankalaev with strikes and win back his 205-pound title (highlights HERE). Ankalaev claims that he fought with broken ribs and didn’t train for over a month leading into the title fight rematch, but nobody ever puts too much into what a fighter says after he loses. It’ll be up to Ankalaev to prove he’s ready to return to title contention with a main event win over Rountree on home soil.
Rountree, 36, is also coming off a loss at UFC 320 after suffering a knockout defeat at the hands of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. The former Ultimate Fighter standout is just 1-2 in his three Octagon appearances, but those losses came against Pereira and the aforementioned Prochazka. Before that, Rountree had won five fights in a row, including three Performance of the Night awards. He’s more than capable of playing spoiler against a striker like Ankalaev, but Rountree will certainly be a sizeable underdog come fight night.
What do you say, Maniacs? Who wins this matchup of light heavyweight contenders?
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