Khalil Rountree Jr. was forced to withdraw from the UFC Abu Dhabi main event against former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev due to an injury, the promotion announced Monday.
Bogdan Guskov stepped in on less than two weeks' notice to face Ankalaev on July 25 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Guskov, the No. 10-ranked light heavyweight, is seeking the biggest win of his career against Ankalaev. He's coming off a majority draw with former champ Jan Blachowicz in December and is riding a five-fight unbeaten streak. The 33-year-old Uzbekistan native hasn't lost since facing Volkan Oezdemir in 2023.
Guskov was scheduled to face Blachowicz in a rematch at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 before agreeing to step in against Ankalaev.
Blachowicz said Monday that the promotion offered him the Ankalaev fight, but he wasn't sure if he could make weight a week earlier than planned.
"After a couple of hours, I confirmed the fight without any catchweight, but it was a done deal with Guskov," Blachowicz wrote on X. "So now I'm waiting for a new opponent for (UFC Belgrade)."
Ankalaev will step into the Octagon for the first time since losing the 205-pound title to Alex Pereira in a first-round knockout loss at UFC 320 last October. The 34-year-old Dagestani claimed the belt with a unanimous decision win over Pereira in March 2025 and had been riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak before losing the rematch.
Paulo Costa told Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani that the UFC also contacted him about stepping in, but he determined that it didn't make sense for various reasons.
UFC Abu Dhabi will also feature a flyweight bout between Steve Erceg and Ramazan Temirov in the co-main event.
