The UFC has announced Magomed Ankalaev vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. as the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25, with Umar Nurmagomedov vs. David Martinez in the co-main event.
Ankalaev, 21-2-1, makes his first appearance since suffering a stunning 80-second stoppage loss to Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title in October — a defeat that ended a 14-fight unbeaten run inside the octagon. Rountree Jr. also looks to bounce back from a loss to former champion Jiri Prochazka on the same night.
Nurmagomedov and Martinez meet with a bantamweight title shot on the line. Nurmagomedov has won back-to-back fights over Deiveson Figueiredo and Mario Bautista since his sole career loss to Merab Dvalishvili in a 2025 championship bout. Martinez, 14-1, holds wins over Marlon Vera, Rob Font, and Saimon Oliveira.
Full UFC Abu Dhabi lineup:
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
- Umar Nurmagomedov vs. David Martinez
- 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