A pivotal light heavyweight contender clash is the latest addition to UFC 277.
Magomed Ankalaev and Anthony Smith are set to collide at the July 30 pay-per-view event. UFC 277 does not currently have a location or venue, though a recently-leaked image of the UFC “war room” board in Las Vegas has Boston, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Dallas as possible city options.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking Tuesday to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Ankalaev (17-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) rides an eight-fight winning streak into the matchup that includes recent victories over the likes of Thiago Santos, Volkan Oezdemir, Nikita Krylov, and Ion Cutelaba. The most recent win was the Santos fight, which he won by unanimous decision. It was also Ankalaev’s first promotional headliner and five-round fight.
Smith (36-16 MMA, 13-8 UFC) also is on a streak of success, though not as lengthy. Following back-to-back losses to kick off 2020, Smith has since rebounded with three straight wins over Devin Clark, Jimmy Crute, and Ryan Spann. All three of those fights he ended inside the distance.
With the addition, the UFC 277 lineup includes:
Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Anthony Smith