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 Kansas: Hill Vs. Rountree Jr. will take place Saturday, April 26, 2025, 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 preliminaries will kick off streaming exclusively on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.
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 Roberso, 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.
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. Also on the card, 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, Brazi, looks to put her grappling skills to the test against Polyana Viana (13-7), fighting out of Sao Geraldo do Araguaia, Para, Brazi, 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.
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
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