Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), returns to the UAE capital with a light heavyweight headliner as former champion and No. 1 ranked Magomed Ankalaev takes on No. 5 ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. on Saturday, 25 July, at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
UFC® FIGHT NIGHT: ANKALAEV vs ROUNTREE JR. tickets go on sale at 12 p.m. GST on Wednesday, June 3 via Ticketmaster.ae. Early access to tickets will be available from 11 a.m. GST on Tuesday, June 2, for those who registered their interest.
Ankalaev (21-2-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia) returns to the Octagon for the first time since losing the light heavyweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC® 320 last October, a result that ended a seven-year unbeaten run inside the Octagon. Before that setback, the 33-year-old had defeated Pereira to claim the belt at UFC® 313, after wins over Anthony Smith, Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakic on his road to the title. Currently positioned as the No. 1 contender in the division, Ankalaev is targeting a decisive win in hopes of setting up another shot at the belt.
Rountree Jr. (15-7, 1NC, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada) enters as the underdog with the chance to spoil Ankalaev’s return. The 36-year-old former title challenger made headlines last June in Baku, defeating former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill by unanimous decision in his second straight main event, and a win against Ankalaev would likely put him back in title contention.
In the co-main event, No. 2 ranked bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov (20-1, fighting out of Kizilyurt, Dagestan, Russia) and No. 9 ranked David Martinez (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) square off in a pivotal divisional matchup. Nurmagomedov bounced back from his title loss to Merab Dvalishvili with back-to-back unanimous decision wins over Mario Bautista in October 2025 and Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324 in January, while Martinez has gone 3-0 in the UFC, demonstrating he can deliver a fast finish and battle for three hard rounds in order to earn victories against established opposition.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Heavyweights Gokhan Saricam (12-2, fighting out of Istanbul, Turkey) and Louie Sutherland (11-5, fighting out of London, England) face off with both fighters coming off their first UFC wins.
- Magomed Tuchalov (6-0, fighting out of Dubai, UAE by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia) makes his UFC debut against Brendson Ribeiro (17-10, 1 NC, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) in a light heavyweight bout.
- No. 10 ranked flyweight Steve Erceg (14-4, fighting out of Perth, Western Australia) takes on Uzbekistan’s Ramazan Temirov (19-3, fighting out of Karshi, Uzbekistan).
- Ranked heavyweights collide as No. 8 Rizvan Kuniev (14-3-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) meets No. 10 Tyrell Fortune (18-3, fighting out of Tempe, Arizona).
- Uran Satybaldiev (10-1, fighting out of Osh, Kyrgyzstan) faces UFC veteran Dustin Jacoby (22-9-1, fighting out of Denver, Colorado) in a light heavyweight matchup.
- No. 13 ranked heavyweight Valter Walker (15-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on Thomas Petersen (11-4, fighting out of Webster, Minnesota) in a heavyweight bout.
- Ismael Bonfim (20-6, fighting out of Brasília, Brazil) meets Axel Sola (11-1-1, fighting out of Nice, France) in a lightweight contest.
- Welterweight Islam Dulatov (12-1, fighting out of Düsseldorf, Germany) takes on Wellington Turman (18-8, fighting out of Danbury, Connecticut).
About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately 363 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while distributing programming to an estimated 1 billion broadcast and digital households across 210 countries and territories. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.
About the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi:
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) drives the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism sectors, fuels economic progress and helps achieve Abu Dhabi’s wider global ambitions. By working in partnership with the organisations that define the emirate’s position as a leading international destination, DCT Abu Dhabi strives to unite the ecosystem around a shared vision of the emirate’s potential, coordinate effort and investment, deliver innovative solutions, and use the best tools, policies and systems to support the culture and tourism industries.
DCT Abu Dhabi’s vision is defined by the emirate’s people, heritage and landscape. We work to enhance Abu Dhabi’s status as a place of authenticity, innovation, and unparalleled experiences, represented by its living traditions of hospitality, pioneering initiatives and creative thought.
