Ankalaev faces Rountree in UFC Abu Dhabi main event on July 25

Magomed Ankalaev will make his first appearance since losing the UFC light heavyweight title in October when he faces Khalil Rountree in the main event of UFC Fight Night 282 — also known as UFC Abu Dhabi — at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 25. The promotion confirmed both bouts on Monday.

Ankalaev, who captured the light heavyweight belt with a win over Alex Pereira in March 2025, returns to the Octagon looking to reclaim his place at the top of the 205-pound division. Rountree arrives on the back of a mixed 2025 campaign: the 36-year-old Syndicate MMA product defeated Jamahal Hill in the UFC Baku main event last June before suffering a third-round knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 320.

Rountree is no stranger to the biggest stages in the light heavyweight division. A five-bout winning streak between 2021 and 2023 earned him a title shot at UFC 307, where he was stopped in the fourth round by Pereira.

In the co-main event, Umar Nurmagomedov steps back into the Octagon against rising bantamweight contender David Martinez. Nurmagomedov went unbeaten through his first 18 professional fights — including six inside the Octagon — before dropping a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title fight at UFC 311. The Eagles MMA standout has since bounced back with consecutive victories over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo.

Martinez, from Mexico City, has built a 10-fight professional winning streak dating back to May 2021. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC, with wins over Samon Oliveira, Rob Font, and Marlon Vera establishing him as one of the bantamweight division’s most compelling prospects.