Magomed Ankalaev vs Khalil Rountree Jr. — Light Heavyweight at UFC Abu Dhabi
- Weight class
- Light Heavyweight
- Rounds
- 5 × 5 min
- Venue
- Etihad Arena · Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Matchup read
Where each fighter holds an advantage in this matchup — offense weighed against the opponent's defense. Tap any row to see the numbers behind it. Descriptive — not a prediction.
StrikingSlight edge · Ankalaev
Ankalaev out-strikes Jr.
GrapplingSlight edge · Ankalaev
Ankalaev has the bigger wrestling edge on Jr.
SubmissionEven
Little submission threat either way
FinishingSlight edge · Jr.
Jr. is more likely to finish Ankalaev
PaceClear edge · Ankalaev
Tale of the tapeEven
Jr. 2" reach · Ankalaev 5 cm
Each edge weighs one fighter’s offense against the other’s defense in this matchup, not each fighter vs the division in isolation — so a strong defense reduces (not erases) the opposing threat. Tap a row for the percentiles behind it. Thin samples are dimmed; too little data reads “not enough data.”
Markets
Record when favored vs. an underdog, across each fighter’s priced UFC bouts.
Career splits
Tale of the Tape
The biometric deltas where one side genuinely has an edge.
Recent form
Last five pro bouts (non-UFC fights dashed + tagged), current trajectory, and the level of opposition going into this matchup.
Common opponents
Every UFC opponent both fighters have faced — a direct comparison controlling for matchmaking.
Schedule Score
Who they've faced × what they've done. Composite + components compared head-to-head, percentile-ranked against every UFC fighter w/ ≥3 resolved bouts.
Per-tier records + bout-by-bout
| Tier | Magomed Ankalaev | Khalil Rountree Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | 1-0 | 0-1 |
| Top-5 | 3-1-1 | 1-1 |
| Top-15 | 3-0, 1 NC | 2-0 |
| Cross-div ranked | — | 1-0 |
| Title-fight challenger | — | 0-1 |
| Building | 2-0 | 2-1 |
| Unproven | 3-1 | 4-3, 1 NC |
- L vs Alex Pereira#195Oct 4, 2025 · Top-5
- W vs Alex PereiraCHAMP100Mar 8, 2025 · Champion
- W vs Aleksandar Rakic#578Oct 26, 2024 · Top-5
- W vs Johnny Walker#773Jan 13, 2024 · Top-15
- NC vs Johnny Walker#773Oct 21, 2023 · Top-15
- D vs Jan Blachowicz#190Dec 10, 2022 · Top-5
- W vs Anthony Smith#578Jul 30, 2022 · Top-5
- W vs Thiago Santos#578Mar 12, 2022 · Top-5
- W vs Volkan Oezdemir#872Oct 30, 2021 · Top-15
- W vs Nikita Krylov#872Feb 27, 2021 · Top-15
- W vs Ion Cutelaba18Oct 24, 2020 · Building
- W vs Ion Cutelaba18Feb 29, 2020 · Building
- W vs Dalcha Lungiambula8Nov 9, 2019 · Unproven
- W vs Klidson Abreu8Feb 23, 2019 · Unproven
- W vs Marcin Prachnio8Sep 15, 2018 · Unproven
- L vs Paul Craig8Mar 17, 2018 · Unproven
- L vs Jiri Prochazka#287Oct 4, 2025 · Top-5
- W vs Jamahal Hill#481Jun 21, 2025 · Top-5
- L vs Alex PereiraCHAMP100Oct 5, 2024 · Champion
- W vs Anthony Smith#872Dec 9, 2023 · Top-15
- W vs Chris Daukaus45Aug 12, 2023 · Cross-div ranked
- W vs Dustin Jacoby#1363Oct 29, 2022 · Top-15
- W vs Karl Roberson18Mar 12, 2022 · Building
- W vs Modestas Bukauskas8Sep 4, 2021 · Unproven
- L vs Marcin Prachnio8Jan 23, 2021 · Unproven
- L vs Ion Cutelaba18Sep 28, 2019 · Building
- W vs Eryk Anders18Apr 13, 2019 · Building
- L vs Johnny Walker8Nov 17, 2018 · Unproven
- W vs Gokhan Saki8Jul 7, 2018 · Unproven
- NC vs Michal Oleksiejczuk8Dec 30, 2017 · Unproven
- W vs Paul Craig8Jul 16, 2017 · Unproven
- W vs Daniel Jolly8Feb 4, 2017 · Unproven
- L vs Tyson Pedro8Nov 26, 2016 · Unproven
- L vs Andrew Sanchez50Jul 8, 2016 · Title-fight challenger
Schedule Score combines schedule strength (65%) with quality wins (35%). For fighters with limited UFC experience the headline is held toward a rookie baseline — a thin UFC résumé hasn’t yet proven a strong schedule — so debut and low-sample fighters read lower than established names. Per-bout opponent quality is scored on rank-at-time-of-fight (champion 100, ranks 1–5 = 90→78, ranks 6–15 = 75→60), with cross-division and P4P signals layered on, and falls back to opponent UFC record-at-time for unranked opponents. UFC ranking data is sparse before December 2018, so legacy-era fighters score from record-at-time when ranks are missing.
Striking matchup
Where each fighter lands their strikes — and where each one gets hit — across head, body, and leg. Per 15 minutes of UFC fight time.
Full breakdown — all zones, both views
| Zone | Fighter | Landed / 15 | Accuracy | Absorbed / 15 | Career landed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Magomed Ankalaev | 30.4around division average | 41% | 12.0elite — top of division | 376 |
| Head | Khalil Rountree Jr. | 31.7above division average | 30% | 37.4below division average | 338 |
| Body | Magomed Ankalaev | 15.0top 19% of division | 74% | 8.96above division average | 186 |
| Body | Khalil Rountree Jr. | 14.0top 23% of division | 74% | 12.7well below average | 150 |
| Leg | Magomed Ankalaev | 9.29above division average | 91% | 17.4bottom of the division | 115 |
| Leg | Khalil Rountree Jr. | 13.1top 23% of division | 83% | 13.8bottom of the division | 140 |
Per-15-minute rates are sourced from UFCStats fight totals across each fighter’s UFC career. Division percentile is computed against every UFC fighter who has competed in this weight class with at least two recorded bouts. Lower “absorbed” values are better — the percentile is inverted so “top of division” always means better outcome.
Grappling matchup
Wrestling output, ground threat, and control. Per 15 minutes of UFC fight time, with takedown defense as a percentage of opponent attempts stopped.
Full breakdown — career grappling totals
| Metric | Magomed Ankalaev | Khalil Rountree Jr. | Career totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takedowns landed / 15 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 9 / 0 |
| Takedown accuracy | 20% | — | 9/44 · 0/0 |
| Takedown defense | 88% | 61% | stopped 21/24 · 19/31 |
| Submission attempts / 15 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 / 0 |
| Control time / 15 (min) | 4.1 min | 0.3 min | 50:35 · 3:11 |
| Time controlled BY opponent / 15 (min) | 0.5 min | 1.7 min | 6:44 · 17:49 |
All rates computed from UFCStats fight totals across each fighter’s UFC career. Takedown defense = opponent attempts stopped ÷ opponent total attempts. Control time figures are minutes the fighter spent in a dominant position per 15 minutes of fight time.
Finishing & durability
How often each fighter ends fights early — and how often they get put away. Outcomes view, not per-minute output.
When their fights end
every UFC finish on the fight clockFinish & durability rates
UFC bouts only
Full method breakdown
| Outcome | Magomed Ankalaev | Khalil Rountree Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | ||
| by KO / TKO | 6(50%) | 7(70%) |
| by submission | 0(0%) | 0(0%) |
| by decision | 6(50%) | 3(30%) |
| Losses | ||
| by KO / TKO | 1(50%) | 4(57%) |
| by submission | 1(50%) | 1(14%) |
| by decision | 0(0%) | 2(29%) |
| Pace | ||
| Avg finish time (own wins) | R2 0:44 | R1 4:50 |
| Finishes used in avg | 6 | 7 |
Counts come from the same denormalised win/loss-by-method columns the rest of the site uses. The percentile context on each row is computed against fighters currently assigned to this weight class with at least two resolved UFC bouts.
KO history
UFC fights only — knockout power and chin durability, head-to-head, then when the last finish landed, and on whom.
- Last time KO'dvs Alex Pereira8 months agoUFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 · Oct 4, 2025 · R1 · 1:20
- Last time submittedvs Paul Craig8y 2mo agoUFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov · Mar 17, 2018 · R3 · 4:59
- Last time KO'dvs Jiri Prochazka8 months agoUFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 · Oct 4, 2025 · R3 · 3:04
- Last time submittedvs Tyson Pedro9y 6mo agoUFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson · Nov 26, 2016 · R1 · 4:07
Pace & fade
How each fighter's work rate holds up as a fight wears on — round-by-round output (striking, takedown attempts, and control time combined), and whether they fade. The fade % compares round-3 output to round 1 over bouts that reached the third round.
Ankalaev and Jr. hold their pace similarly into the championship rounds — Ankalaev keeps 142% of round-1 work rate by round 3, Jr. 142%. No clear cardio edge either way.
Rounds backed by fewer than 2 bouts are drawn smaller and dimmed with an n= count — a deep round seen in one or two fights is a thin sample, not a settled rate. Per-round bout counts are in the breakdown below.
Full per-round breakdown — both fighters
What drives the pace · per round
The composite output line above blends these three inputs. Splitting them out shows whether a fighter’s work rate is built on striking volume, takedown pressure, or top control — and which input fades.
| Round | Fighter | Output / min | Sig landed / min | Sig absorbed / min | TD att / min | Control | Bouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Magomed Ankalaev | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 0.11 | 11% | 15 |
| R1 | Khalil Rountree Jr. | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 0.00 | 2% | 17 |
| R2 | Magomed Ankalaev | 5.6 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 0.14 | 27% | 11 |
| R2 | Khalil Rountree Jr. | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 0.00 | 4% | 10 |
| R3 | Magomed Ankalaev | 5.8 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 0.37 | 28% | 9 |
| R3 | Khalil Rountree Jr. | 4.6 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 0.00 | 0% | 8 |
| R4 | Magomed Ankalaev | 7.6 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 0.60 | 62% | 3 |
| R4 | Khalil Rountree Jr. | 3.5 | 3.5 | 7.4 | 0.00 | 0% | 2 |
| R5 | Magomed Ankalaev | 7.1 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 0.40 | 59% | 3 |
| R5 | Khalil Rountree Jr. | 7.4 | 7.4 | 5.2 | 0.00 | 0% | 1 |
Output / minis the headline work rate — significant strikes landed, plus 3 per takedown attempt, plus one per 15 seconds of control — so a takedown-and-grind round isn’t scored as idle the way bare striking volume would. The remaining columns are its components. Per-round rates use UFCStats per-round data (available for ~95% of bouts since 2008). Each round’s rates are averaged only over bouts that reached that round, so the bout count shrinks as rounds deepen. The final round of a finished fight is pro-rated by its actual length — a 2:30 stoppage counts as 2.5 minutes, not five — so an early finish doesn’t distort the per-minute pace.
Activity & layoff
The recency dimension Tale of the Tape doesn't carry. How active each fighter has been, and how that compares to active peers in their division.
- Report: Former UFC champion Magomed Ankalaev draws Khalil Rountree Jr. in main event return at UFC Abu Dhabimmamania · May 22, 2026
- Ex-champ Magomed Ankalaev returns atop UFC Abu Dhabi card on July 25sherdog · Jun 1, 2026
- Magomed Ankalaev Reportedly Booked To Face Ex-Title Challenger In UFC Abu Dhabi Headliner On July 25lowkickmma · May 24, 2026