An unforeseen clash: Unveiling the circumstances leading to Khalil Rountree vs. Anthony Smith at UFC’s December event

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Khalil Rountree will now have a massive opportunity to ascend the light heavyweight rankings as he will fight Anthony Smith in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC CEO Dana White took to his X account this past Friday, where he revealed that there had been a change to the card as a result of Rountree's originally scheduled opponent, Azamat Murzakanov, being forced to withdraw from the event. As a result of the unbeaten light heavyweight withdrawing from the bout, 'Lionheart' agreed to step in on short notice as his replacement.

White said:

"Khalil Rountree was supposed to fight Azamat Murzakanov on December 2nd right here in Austin, Texas. Azamat has pneumonia, so he's out. So stepping is number-eight ranked Anthony Smith, who will now take on number-eleven ranked Khalil Rountree...in the new co-main event on December 9th at the Apex."

The unfortunate illness of the unbeaten Murzakanov resulted in a massive opportunity for 'The War Horse' as he will have an additional week to prepare for his bout against a former light heavyweight title challenger. If he earns a decisive win, it would propel him past Anthony Smith in the rankings and put him in a position to fight a top 5-ranked light heavyweight next.

Anthony Smith is also taking a risk, as a loss could jeopardize his light heavyweight ranking and would make a path to earning another title shot a lot more difficult. On the other hand, stepping in on short notice will put him in the UFC's good graces, so a win could lead to him getting back into the title picture.

The former light heavyweight title challenger most recently snapped his two-fight losing skid with a split decision win over Ryan Spann and is looking to earn consecutive wins for the first time since 2021. Meanwhile, Rountree is currently riding an impressive four-fight winning streak, with three of those wins coming via stoppage.

It will be interesting to see what transpires when Khalil Rountree and Anthony Smith compete at UFC Fight Night 223 and whether accepting the fight on short notice will affect Smith's performance.