Anthony Smith steps in to fight Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night 233 in place of Azamat Murzakanov

Khalil Rountree faced a fight cancellation after his opponent withdrew from UFC on ESPN 52. However, former title challenger Anthony Smith has emerged as a replacement for a bout scheduled a week later.

Rountree (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) was set to battle Azamat Murzakanov at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Dec. 2. Unfortunately, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Murzakanov (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been sidelined due to pneumonia.

Rountree can breathe a sigh of relief as former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith has agreed to take his place. The new matchup was announced by White in a video posted to Instagram and will now take place a week later at UFC Fight Night 233 on Dec. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Smith (37-18 MMA, 12-8 UFC) will be entering his third fight of 2023. In his last outing, “Lionheart” secured a split decision win in a rematch against Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 225. The triumph ended his two-fight losing streak, marking Smith’s first victory since his submission win against Spann in their initial meeting.

Rountree’s fight camp will not go to waste, as he will now compete a week later than planned. This will be Rountree’s second fight of 2023, following a knockout finish of Chris Daukaus at UFC on ESPN 51 in August.

The updated lineup on Dec. 9 includes:

• Song Yadong vs. Chris Guiterrez

• Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree

• Andre Muniz vs. Junyong Park

• Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey

• Carlos Hernandez vs. Tatsuro Taira

• Su Mudaerji vs. Allan Nascimento

• Sung Hyun Park vs. Shannon Ross

• Kevin Jousset vs. Song Kenan

• Stephanie Egger vs. Luana Santos

• Talita Alencar vs. Rayanne dos Santos

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie