over Alex Pereira in March 2025. | Getty/UFC
Magomed
Ankalaev is set to get back to work for the first time since
losing the light heavyweight crown this past October.
Ankalaev will face former title challenger Khalil
Rountree in the
UFC Abu Dhabi main event, while Umar
Nurmagomedov will lock horns with David
Martinez in the evening’s bantamweight co-headliner. The Las
Vegas-based promotion announced the bouts on Monday. UFC Abu Dhabi
— also known as UFC Fight Night 282 — takes place at Etihad Arena
in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and airs in its entirety on
Paramount+.
Ankalaev last appeared at UFC 320,
where he suffered an 80-second technical knockout loss to Alex
Pereira in a light heavyweight championship rematch this past
October. Prior to that, “Big Ank” authored a 14-bout promotional
unbeaten streak that saw him claim 205-pound gold with a five-round
verdict over “Poatan” at UFC 313. The 33-year-old Dagestani also
owns victories over the likes of Aleksandar
Rakic, Johnny
Walker, Anthony
Smith, Thiago
Santos and Volkan
Oezdemir.
Rountree, meanwhile, is coming off a 1-1 campaign in 2025. The
36-year-old
Syndicate MMA product outdueled Jamahal
Hill in the UFC Baku main event last June before suffering a
third-round knockout loss to Jiri
Prochazka at UFC 320. A five-bout winning streak from 2021 to
2023 propelled “The War Horse” to a light heavyweight title shot at
UFC 307, where he suffered a fourth-round stoppage defeat against
Pereira.
Title Contender vs. Surging Prospect
Nurmagomedov won his first 18 professional outings — including six
in the Octagon — before dropping a unanimous decision to Merab
Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title tilt at UFC 311. The
Eagles
MMA standout has since rebounded to post back-to-back triumphs
over Mario
Bautista and Deiveson
Figueiredo.
Mexico City’s Martinez has emerged as one of the bantamweight
division’s rising stars during a 10-bout professional winning
streak that began in May 2021. The
Dana White’s Contender Series alum is 3-0 in the
UFC, posting successive triumphs over Samon Oliveira, Rob Font and
Marlon
Vera.
HEADLINERS ARE SET 👊@AnkalaevM vs
Khalil Rountree Jr@UNmgdv vs David
Martinez#UFCAbuDhabi
LIVE JULY 25 on @ParamountPlus![ @VisitAbuDhabi
|
#InAbuDhabi |
#VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/bwT2y3PqRv— UFC
(@ufc) June
1, 2026