Las Vegas – As part of TKO Takeover Presented by VeChain, UFC® returns to T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. with another thrilling card headlined by former UFC light heavyweight champion and No. 4 ranked contender Jamahal Hill as he faces fellow striker No. 7 Khalil Rountree Jr.. In the co-main event, fan favorite veteran and No. 15 ranked light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith faces rising star Zhang Mingyang.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: HILL vs. ROUNTREE JR. will take place Saturday, April 26 at T-Mobile Center. The main card will be available on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, as well as simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN+, starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The prelims will kick off streaming exclusively on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: HILL vs. ROUNTREE JR. tickets will go on sale Friday, March 7 at 10 a.m. CT and will be available for purchase at AXS.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, March 5 at 10 a.m. CT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 6 starting at 10 a.m. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Media members wishing to apply for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: HILL vs. ROUNTREE JR. fight week credentials may sign up here.
Former champion Hill (12-3 1NC, fighting out of Grand Rapids, Mich.) aims to make a triumphant, quick return to the Octagon for his second bout of 2025. The first Dana White’s Contender Series alum to become an undisputed UFC champion, he earned his way to the title with wins over Thiago Santos, Johnny Walker and Jimmy Crute. Hill now plans to make a statement against Rountree Jr. and turn his attention to the championship picture.
Rountree Jr. (14-6 1NC, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) competes for the first time since his valiant Fight of the Night effort against Alex Pereira at UFC 307 last October. A devastating striker with nine of his 13 wins coming by way of KO, Rountree Jr. has entertained fans with his victories over Chris Daukaus, Karl Roberson and Modestas Bukauskas. He now looks to take Hill’s spot in the Top 5 with another signature performance.
Smith (38-21, fighting out of Omaha, Neb.) makes his 24th UFC appearance in what could be his final walk to the Octagon after a career that spans back to 2008. A former title challenger who has finished 35 of his 38 wins before the final bell, Smith has proven that he can compete with the best in the world with wins over Alexander Gustafsson, Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans. He now has his sights set on making his last fight a memorable one by handing Zhang his first loss in the promotion.
Rising contender Zhang (18-6, fighting out of Shanghai, China) seeks to break into the Top 15 for the first time. Developing a name for himself for his incredible finishing ability, Zhang has ended each of his 18 victories in the very first round, including those over Ozzy Diaz and Brendson Ribeiro. He now plans to keep his impressive streak alive by taking out Smith in spectacular fashion.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- An intriguing middleweight bout pits No. 13 ranked contender Michel Pereira (31-12 2NC, fighting out of Tucuma, Para, Brazil) against Abus Magomedov (27-6-1, fighting out of Dusseldorf, Germany)
- Featherweight strikers collide as No. 11 ranked Giga Chikadze (15-4, fighting out of Tbilisi, Georgia) returns against David Onama (13-2, fighting out of Kansas City, Mo. by way of Kyangwali, Uganda)
- Ikram Aliskerov (15-2, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) faces Andre Muniz (24-6, fighting out of Montes Claros, MG, Brazil) in a battle of talented middleweights
- Randy Brown (19-6, fighting out of Queens, N.Y.) battles Nicolas Dalby (23-5-1 2NC, fighting out of Copenhagen, Denmark) in a welterweight contest
- Exciting flyweight action sees Matt Schnell (16-9 1NC, fighting out of Shreveport, La.) take on Jimmy Flick (17-8, fighting out of Tulsa, Okla.)
- No. 14 ranked bantamweight contender Chelsea Chandler(6-3, fighting out of Stockton, Calif.) aims to defend her spot in the rankings against No. 15 Joselyne Edwards (14-6, fighting out of Panama City, Panama)
- Mitch Ramirez (8-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) intends to spoil the UFC debut of Dana White’s Contender Series signee Ahmad Hassanzada (12-3, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif. by way of Kabul, Afghanistan)
- Jaqueline Amorim (9-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Manaus, Brazil) looks to put her grappling skills to the test against Polyana Viana (13-7, fighting out of Sao Geraldo do Araguaia, Para, Brazil) at strawweight
- Undefeated Dana White’s Contender Series signee Malcolm Wellmaker (8-0, fighting out of Augusta, Ga.) plans to impress against the always-dangerous Cameron Saaiman (9-2, fighting out of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa) at bantamweight
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change. Please click here to apply for the event.
T-Mobile Center in Downtown Kansas City will become the first venue to host a TKO Takeover Presented by VeChain, showcasing consecutive PBR, UFC, and WWE events over a single weekend in the same city.
Beginning with PBR on Thursday, April 24, continuing with UFC FIGHT NIGHT on Saturday, April 26, and culminating with WWE’s flagship weekly program Raw on Monday, April 28, fans will have the opportunity to experience the non-stop action from each of these thrilling sports and entertainment properties.
An exclusive all-in-one ticket bundle comprising all three of these thrilling events will go on sale starting Monday, March 3 at 10 a.m. CST on AXS.com
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 228 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to over 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.
About T-Mobile Center
T-Mobile Center is Kansas City’s home for live entertainment and sporting events. Anchor to more than $8 billion of reinvestment in a revitalized downtown Kansas City, the award-winning venue operated by ASM Global has welcomed more than 12 million guests and transformed the live entertainment experience in the Midwest. For additional information or to join the conversation, follow T-Mobile Center on social media via Facebook: @TMobileCenter; Twitter: @TMobileCenter & Instagram: @TMobileCenter.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 24.9 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
