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Khalil Rountree's coach convinced him to avoid fighting Magomed Ankalaev injured: "He was going to do it"

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Khalil Rountree's coach convinced him to avoid fighting Magomed Ankalaev injured: "He was going to do it"

Khalil Rountree had every intention of making the UFC Abu Dhabi trip, but his coach made him think better of the situation.

Rountree was scheduled to meet Magomed Ankalaev this past Saturday for a pivotal light heavyweight bout inside Etihad Arena. “The War Horse†ultimately pulled out of the fight due to an injury. Bogdan Guskov stepped in, and he was finished in the fifth round via TKO.

Jake Noecker of Home of Fight got a chance to speak with Rountree's coach John Wood. The Syndicate MMA leader revealed that he had to convince Rountree to remove himself from the planned bout with Ankalaev because the opportunity was too great to walk in compromised (via MMAJunkie).

“I don't think it's going to be that serious,†Wood said. “Fortunately, we kind of escaped any kind of surgical stuff, but for sure, it was a hindrance in camp that it got to a point where he couldn't really do much. And in a fight that big, man, those are the decisions that suck. He really didn't actually even want to – he was going to do it. He was full on and had the conversations like, ‘You know what? I'm just going to bite down and go.' I kind of made the decision of like, ‘No, dude. This is too big of an opportunity, too big of a situation, you're fighting the No. 1 contender.' You might as well be fighting almost for a title at that point in time.â€

While the decision wasn't an easy one to make, the good news is that Rountree's team believes he'll be good to go in the near future. Rountree remains a top name in the 205-pound division, and perhaps his name will be called again for a fight against the likes of Ankalaev or even Paulo Costa.

Reigning UFC light heavyweight titleholder Carlos Ulberg, who is also sidelined with an injury, suggested Rountree vs. Costa and Ankalaev vs. Jiri Prochazka. Ulberg believes the more impressive winner of the two fights can challenge him for the 205-pound gold.

Who do you want to see Khalil Rountree fight next once he recovers from his injury? Sound off in the comments below.

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MMA

Luke Riley predicts first-round KO of undefeated Tommy McMillen

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Luke Riley predicts first-round KO of undefeated Tommy McMillen
Two undefeated featherweight prospects could be on a collision
course.

Paddy
Pimblett's teammate, Luke Riley,
has revealed that he is likely to return to
Ultimate Fighting Championship action in December in Las Vegas.
However, the Liverpool native stopped short of issuing a callout.
When asked about a potential fight against Sean
O’Malley's teammate Tommy
McMillen, Riley admitted that he likes the matchup, predicting
a quick finish.

Luke Riley likes a potential UFC matchup with fellow unbeaten
featherweight Tommy McMillen

Riley praised McMillen for bringing more attention to the
featherweight division and said he'll gladly accept a fight against
the polarizing American. The Englishman believes that he'd knock
McMillen out in the first round if they squared off.

“Me and Tommy would have a great fight,†Riley told Ronins MMA.
“Look, I like Tommy. He's bringing the fire back to the division. I
like what he's doing. So, me and Tommy would have a great fight. I
would knock Tommy out in Round 1. 100%.â€

Riley (14-0) has finished two of his three UFC wins since making
his promotional debut last year. He is coming off a first-round
stoppage of Kai Kamaka
III from this past July. Meanwhile, McMillen (12-0) has also
finished two of his three UFC wins since making his Octagon debut
this past April and has earned a bonus for each win.

The
Dana White's Contender Series signee handed fellow prospect
Marwan
Rahiki his first professional loss in a three-round war in a
Fight of the Year contender at
Noche UFC 4.

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MMA

Sedriques Dumas points to late opponent switch following 57-second UFC loss

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Sedriques Dumas points to late opponent switch following 57-second UFC loss
Sedriques
Dumas believes a short-notice opponent change worked against
him in his latest outing in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Dumas was originally scheduled to fight Mickey Gall
in a middleweight matchup at
UFC Vegas 121 on Sept. 26. However, Gall was pulled from the
fight due to an undisclosed medical issue less than three days
before the event.
Dana White's Contender Series graduate Luis
Hernandez stepped in on short notice and needed just 57 seconds
to force a tap via a standing guillotine choke in his Octagon
debut.

Hernandez earned a $100,000 performance bonus, while Dumas is now
winless in his last five bouts.

Sedriques Dumas addresses Luis Hernandez loss after Mickey Gall
withdrawal

Considering the late switch after Gall's withdrawal, the bout was
moved to light heavyweight and Dumas weighed in significantly below
Hernandez. Hernandez dominated from the outset and overpowered
Dumas in the grappling exchanges before locking in the finish in
just 57 seconds.

Addressing the loss, Dumas noted that he spent months preparing for
Gall. While he believes that the sudden change of opponent didn't
work out for him, he's unbothered about criticism and vows to focus
on bettering himself.

“To be real, I got nothing to say to people besides I just love
what I do and if you was in a predicament getting ready for
somebody for months, we gotta switch guess what something don’t
work out as favor,†Dumas wrote on his Instagram stories. “I give
two else about what people say how people feel I know I gotta fix
me and that’s just it. Thank you for my team and the ones I asked
you support me. Awesome hope Mickey gets well.â€

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MMA

Magomed Zaynukov shuts down UFC Qatar fight rumors, out until 2027

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Magomed Zaynukov shuts down UFC Qatar fight rumors, out until 2027
Magomed
Zaynukov has ruled out a return in 2026.

Zaynukov underwent surgery earlier this year for a lingering hand
injury. “Wild Chanco†is now recovering and has resumed training.
Recent rumors have linked a matchup Zaynukov and Manoel
Sousa for UFC Qatar
in November. However, he recently took to social media to shut down
the rumors.

Magomed Zaynukov says he never signed to fight Manoel Sousa at
UFC Qatar

The Dagestani lightweight also revealed that he won't be fighting
for the rest of the year, as he continues to recover from
surgery.

“I didn't sign any contract for this fight,†Zaynukov wrote on his
Instagram Stories. “I won't be fighting this year due to surgery.
I'm currently undergoing rehabilitation and recovery.â€

Zaynukov (9-0) amassed a substantial fan following as Islam
Makhachev's teammate even before joining the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. The undefeated 31-year-old made
his Octagon debut this past July, scoring a unanimous decision win
over Damian
Rzepecki after earning a contract on
Dana White's Contender Series.

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