Khalil Rountree hands Jamahal Hill his third Straight UFC Loss. In the Baku main event, Khalil Rountree put on a strong performance against Jamahal Hill. He stayed sharp and focused through all five rounds, landing the better shots and controlling the fight.
Saturday night in Baku, Azerbaijan, the UFC fight night delivered a main event full of fireworks. Former light heavyweight champ Jamahal Hill stepped into the Octagon looking to bounce back and remind everyone why he once held the belt. Across from him was the powerful and always-dangerous Khalil Rountree Jr., ready to make a big statement of his own.
Khalil Rountree Jr. was originally set to face Jamahal Hill at UFC Kansas City, but plans changed when Hill had to withdraw. Now, the matchup takes center stage at UFC Baku, making history as the promotion’s first-ever event in Azerbaijan. This also marks Rountree Jr.’s return to the Octagon after his gritty battle with Alex Pereira for the title at UFC 307 last October.
Hill came into the fight after two tough losses—one to Alex Pereira at UFC 300 and another to Jiří Procházka at UFC 311 Rountree Jr. was also coming off a setback, losing to Pereira at UFC 307 after a strong five-fight winning streak.
The fight started with both fighters trading heavy leg kicks, but Rountree’s shots had way more impact. Hill looked confident and kept throwing back, but one could tell Rountree’s kicks were landing with real force. He started mixing things up, targeting the body, while Hill tried to get his boxing going upstairs.
As round two kicked off, Rountree stepped it up. He clipped Hill with a couple of quick hooks and punished that lead leg again, now harder. One of the kicks eventually took Hill off his feet briefly, and that’s when the damage really began to show. Even with Hill limping, Rountree didn’t rush. He stayed sharp and didn’t take unnecessary risks but smart move, especially against a heavy hitter like Hill.
He kept hammering the legs, then landed a fast counter left that dropped Hill. Hill bounced back up, but one could see the combination of leg damage and Rountree’s power was wearing him down. Rountree kept piling it on and eventually opened a cut near Hill’s eye, landed a brutal body kick, and dropped him again with a huge right hook. The momentum was all his, and he never let it go. He didn’t force a finish, he was obviously winning.
Rountree was clearly ahead on the cards and stayed in control until the final bell. It was a complete, dominant performance and it put him right back in the title conversation.
”I told you from the beginning, I didn’t come in here underestimating Jamahal,” Rountree said after the win.
“The plan was to be smart. I made some mistakes in the Alex fight. This one, I get to make different decisions. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do and if I’m winning the round, I can secure that and be a smart, professional championship level fighter. That’s how champions think, in my opinion.”
“I want to be a champion,” Rountree said after the win. “Whatever gets me closer to that.”
As for Hill, this makes it three losses in a row, a tough fall from the heights of his title win back in 2023. Hopefully, he can bounce back strong when he returns. Rountree is a complete fighter out that’s focused, powerful, and smart. If he keeps this up, a title shot isn’t far off.
