Khalil Rountree Jr put up a polished and intelligent performance to outclass former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill in the main event of a UFC Fight Night at the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan on Saturday night.
‘The War Horse’ was the lower-ranked fighter (#7 to Hill’s #4) coming into the match, but he has put his name back into the title picture with a dominant showing that saw him awarded a unanimous decision win (49-46 50-45 50-45) over ‘Sweet Dreams’ by the judges.
Building back to another title shot! 👏@KhalilRountree has a clean performance to earn the UD tonight in the main event!
— UFC (@ufc) June 21, 2025
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Rountree dominated the first three rounds on the back of a smart tactical approach, landing several nasty kicks to Hill’s right leg – the latter soon developed a noticeable limp and his mobility was compromised.
Rountree also twice knocked Hill off his feet in the third round – the first with a straight left, and the second with a right hook – and in the fourth he continued to vary his attack, mixing in brutal power punches with well-aimed kicks to his opponents legs.
A BIG LEFT HAND FROM ROUNTREE 👊@KhalilRountree gets the knockdown halfway through round 3!
— UFC (@ufc) June 21, 2025
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Hill upped his offensive output in the fifth round, but Rountree landed some notable strikes of his own and was able to control proceedings to the final buzzer.
“I didn’t come in here underestimating Jamahal,” said Rountree in his post-fight interview.
“The plan was to be smart. I made some mistakes in the Alex [Pereira] fight, in this I made some different decisions.”
In the co-main event, Azerbaijani home favourite Rafael Fiziev claimed a unanimous decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes in a lightweight fight – his first victory since overcoming Rafael dos Anjos in July 2022.
“I cannot lose in my home, in front of these people, my people,” said Fiziev. “These people deserve to be happy, I’m happy to represent my home land.”
ON THEIR FEET AFTER THAT 👏@RafaelFiziev ends the fight on top in the co-main event!
— UFC (@ufc) June 21, 2025
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The rest of the main card saw Muhammad Naimov overcome Bogdan Grad via unanimous decision in their featherweight opener; Nazim Sadykhov claimed a spectacular knockout of Nikolas Motta in round two of a lightweight clash; Myktybek Orolbai submitted Tofiq Musayev in the first round of their catchweight (165 lb) bout; and veteran heavyweight Curtis Blaydes narrowly got the better of Rizvan Kuniev via split decision.
The UFC continues next Sunday, 29 June, with UFC 317 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which will see the vacant Lightweight Championship up for grabs between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, as well as Alexandre Pantoja defending the Flyweight Championship against Kai Kara-France.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: HILL V ROUNTREE – MAIN CARD RESULTS
- Main event: Light heavyweight: Khalil Rountree Jr def. Jamahal Hill via unanimous decision (49-46 50-45 50-45), R5, 5:00
- Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev def. Ignacio Bahamondes via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27), R3, 5:00
- Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes def. Rizvan Kuniev via split decision (28-29 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
- Catchweight (165 lb): Myktybek Orolbai def. Tofiq Musayev via submission (kimura), R1, 4:35
- Lightweight: Nazim Sadykhov def. Nikolas Motta via KO (punches), R2, 4:17
- Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov def. Bogdan Grad via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00