A former champion and a former challenger in the UFC light heavyweight division closed out the show at UFC Baku on Saturday, which served as the promotion’s debut in Azerbaijan.
Jamahal Hill, the former 205lb champ who had vacated his title due to injury, was looking to snap a two-fight skid in the bout, after being finished by both Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. Khalil Rountree Jr. was on the other side of the main event equation, and looking to bounce back from his own loss to Pereira.
There was no glove touch to kick off the final fight of the evening at the Baku Crystal Hall, a fight that had been scheduled twice before. Instead, the pair had one last staredown, then met at center. Sort of. Rountree actually sauntered out at a slow pace, working in a bit of mental warfare and allowing Hill to meet him more than halfway across the cage.
Still, the opening minute saw little more than a strike thrown, with Hill finally opening up the action with a leg kick. Instead, it was feints and foot movement as the pair felt each other out. Rountree would eventually work in a leg kick or two of his own; his lead right was there also, connecting on Hill later in the frame. The pair started firing a little harder in the final two minutes of the first round; Rountree nearly took Hill off his feet with a particularly nasty calf kick. While both men were finding some success with their hands, Rountree appeared to be landing the harder leg kicks, though Hill might have technically landed more.
More leg kicks from Khalil Rountree Jr. arrived early in the second round. He mixed in a jab to the body; the next leg kick did trip up Hill. Hill was switching stances, but looked flatfooted in general. Hill did rip off a couple of kicks of his own, but again the answer from Rountree was harder, landing with far more authority. When he wasn’t bludgeoning Hill’s legs, Rountree was circling away from the former champ.
Entering the final minute of the second frame, Rountree slipped off a high kick, allowing Hill to catch him with a right hand on the way up. That, however, was the most success Hill had seen in the round. And once up, Rountree went right after his lead leg again.
Jamahal Hill had ice applied to his legs between rounds, and was switching stances early in the third. When he did move in, Rountree loaded up on an overhand that fanned. The issue for Hill was clearly one of mobility; he was moving awkwardly whenever the action picked up.
Another leg kick landed for Rountree; moments later, a left hand put Hill on his backside! Hill was right back up, but the visual was not a good one for “Sweet Dreams.” The pace in the back half of the third round had slowed, however. Rountree ripped the body with a kick, then went lower with a calf kick. The swelling on the side of Hill’s right calf muscle was nothing short of impressive. In the final minute, Rountree dropped Hill for a second time in the round, this time with a right hook. Hill limped back to his corner after the horn, unquestionably down in the fight.
Round four, for Hill, opened with two possibilities: At best, he was down 2-1, otherwise, he was looking at a goose egg, with Rountree winning all three. With no open scoring, Hill would have to work with the assumption that he needed a finish. Yet with his mobility hampered and Khalil landing some big shots, the odds weren’t exactly in Hill’s favor. Case in point, a two-punch combo, starting with a body shot, sent Hill reeling, almost knocking him down. Rountree picked things up again at round’s end, putting Hill on his heels.
The final round saw Hill, with certainty, needing a stoppage. Yet Rountree had yet to be truly rocked, and hadn’t even been hit all that much. In the opening minute, it was Rountree moving in on the attack, backing Hill up. Hill simply wasn’t putting combinations together, instead firing jabs, and only occasionally trailing them with anything. With the clock now becoming a factor, it was time for Jamahal Hill to pull the goalie and go on a full-fledged attack. Leg compromised, however, Hill appeared to struggle to close the distance, and when he did, he hand to contend with the nasty overhands Rountree was firing his way. Hill would stay in the fight to the end, but he never felt like he was really in the fight.
Official Result: Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Jamahal Hill by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
