UFC Abu Dhabi has a new main event.
Khalil Rountree Jr. suffered an injury and won’t be able to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev on July 25 as the top billing of UFC Fight Night 282 from Etihad Arena. Replacing Rountree will be rising contender Bogdan Buskov.
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The UFC announced the change Monday through its social media platforms.
Guskov had been booked to take on Jan Blachowicz in a rematch on Aug. 1 as the two had battled to a draw in December at UFC 323. The UFC didn’t reveal if Blachowicz would be getting a new opponent for UFC Fight Night 283. Guskov is unbeaten since losing his UFC debut in 2023. He had picked up four consecutive finishes prior to drawing Blachowicz.
Ankalaev looks to get back to his winning ways. In his last outing last October at UFC 320, he lost the light heavyweight title in a rematch against Alex Pereira. Before his championship loss, Ankalaev was on a 12-fight unbeaten streak with 10 wins and two draws.
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Below is the updated lineup for UFC Fight Night 282:
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Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov
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Damian Rzepecki vs. Magomed Zaynukov
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Sam Patterson vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
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Thomas Petersen vs. Valter Walker
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Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune
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Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola
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Brendson Ribeiro vs. Magomed Tuchalov
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Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov
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Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. Abubakar Vagaev
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Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman
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Cody Gibson vs. Abdul Hussein
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Abu Dhabi gets big shakeup after headliner ruled out with injury
