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

Magomed Ankalaev will headline UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 against Khalil Rountree Jr., the promotion confirmed Monday, marking the former light heavyweight champion’s first fight since losing his title to Alex Pereira in October. Umar Nurmagomedov and David Martínez will clash in the co-main event, with a shot at the 135-pound belt the likely prize for the winner.

Ankalaev’s title reign ended abruptly when Pereira stopped him in just 80 seconds last October — a jarring defeat for a fighter who had gone unbeaten across his previous 14 UFC appearances. That run included a decision win over Pereira himself seven months before the rematch. Now 21-2-1 as a professional, Ankalaev faces a Rountree Jr. who is also looking to bounce back, having lost to former champion Jiří Procházka on that same October card. Rountree Jr. has won six of his past eight inside the octagon and collected performance bonuses in five of those bouts.

In the co-main event, Nurmagomedov arrives on a two-fight winning streak following victories over Deiveson Figueiredo and Mario Bautista. His only professional loss came when he challenged Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title earlier in 2025, leaving his record at 21-1. Martínez brings a 14-1 mark into the cage, with three UFC wins over Marlon Vera, Rob Font, and Saimon Oliveira underlining his credentials as a legitimate contender.

The full UFC Abu Dhabi card as announced:

• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
• Umar Nurmagomedov vs. David Martínez
• Valter Walker vs. Thomas Petersen
• Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola
• Tyrell Fortune vs. Rizvan Kuniev
• Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov
• Magomed Tuchalov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Uran Satybaldiev
• Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman