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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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10 hours ago

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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

Rizvan Kuniev won a UFC Fight of the Night bonus; he still wasn’t happy

Published

13 minutes ago

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July 28, 2026

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Rizvan Kuniev won a UFC Fight of the Night bonus; he still wasn’t happy
Rizvan
Kuniev bagged his second win in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, getting his hand raised at

UFC Abu Dhabi, but he isn't entirely content with his
performance.

Kuniev secured a finish against Tyrell
Fortune at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The back-and-forth
heavyweight clash was later awarded Fight of the Night, with both
heavyweights having their moments before the third-round
stoppage.

Rizvan Kuniev reflects on mistakes after Tyrell Fortune
stoppage at UFC Abu Dhabi

Fortune (18-4) proved to be a solid test for the Russian, who
eventually landed two back-to-back knees to prompt the referee to
intervene. Despite finding a finish, Kuniev (14-3) later admitted
that he expects more from himself moving forward, especially
considering his championship aspirations.

“Of course I made some mistakes,†Kuniev said in a post-fight
interview. “Because I rushed sometimes too fast into the fight, but
we will work it out and as my coach said, I'm on top now. Top 15,
you know. And you cannot make mistakes at this level if you want to
be a champion.â€

Kuniev is now 2-1 in the UFC after earning a contract on
Dana White's Contender Series. He lost his Octagon debut to
former title challenger Curtis
Blaydes before returning to winning ways against Jailton
Almeida.

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MMA

Ramazonbek Temirov says UFC flyweights aren’t ready for his power

Published

3 hours ago

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July 27, 2026

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Ramazonbek Temirov says UFC flyweights aren’t ready for his power
Ramazonbek
Temirov has highlighted what separates himself from the rest of
the
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

Temirov delivered a resounding statement against former title
challenger Steve Erceg
at
UFC Abu Dhabi. The Uzbek prospect secured a first-round
knockout, taking his professional record to 20-3. In a post-fight
interview, he discussed the X-factor he possesses at 125
pounds.

Ramazonbek Temirov's knockout ability stands out after UFC Abu
Dhabi win over Steve Erceg

Temirov put his Australian counterpart to sleep with a crushing
right hand in the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, extending his UFC
record to 3-0 and earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his
efforts. Speaking after the victory, he explained why he feels he’s
different from the rest of the division, emphasizing how flyweights
rarely pull off one-shot knockouts as he did against Erceg.

“I haven't seen all the fighters just fighting like me. Just
striking punches, just making knockouts,†he said. “But my punches
will just kill them all.â€

The emphatic finish marked Temirov’s 11th first-round stoppage
victory and 13th overall, further solidifying his reputation as one
of the UFC’s most explosive flyweights. He has now won 12
consecutive fights.

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MMA

Magomed Zaynukov explains Octagon debut win at UFC Abu Dhabi

Published

5 hours ago

on

July 27, 2026

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Magomed Zaynukov explains Octagon debut win at UFC Abu Dhabi
Magomed
Zaynukov couldn’t have asked for a better start to his
Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

The unbeaten Dagestani prospect earned a unanimous decision over
Damian
Rzepecki in his Octagon debut at
UFC Abu Dhabi, neutralizing his opponent’s grappling while
showcasing the polished striking that saw him earn a contract on

Dana White's Contender Series last year.

Magomed Zaynukov breaks down his unanimous decision victory
over Damian Rzepecki in his UFC debut

Following his victory over Rzepecki, Zaynukov shed light on the
preparation that went into his UFC debut.

“I thought they liked me only that much in America, but they also
like me in Abu Dhabi as well,†Zaynukov said in a post-fight
interview. “And I really wanted to show a good performance. I know
a lot of people were counting on me, a lot of people were waiting
for me to debut. I worked really, really hard. I had a crazy hard
camp. I had really good sparring. Good sparring partners. So, it
was really important for me to show a good performance.â€

Zaynukov also said in the interview that he could have found a
finish, but he wanted to fight for three rounds and showcase his
diverse striking arsenal. With the victory, “Wild Chanco†extended
his unbeaten professional record to 9-0, establishing himself as a
promising lightweight contender.

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