Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. intend to prove they’re worthy of title contention. The elite light heavyweights meet in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, the first ever UFC card in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Hill (12-3) is in rebuild mode. The former UFC light heavyweight champion vacated his title after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon. After returning, Hill was knocked out by Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. “Sweet Dreams” accepts the losses as part of his story. Rountree, whom Hill deems inadequate, is the first stop on Hill’s redemption arc.
“I operate on a more intelligent level. I’m a higher IQ fighter,” Hill told CBS Sports. “I’m more technical. I believe I’m faster and sharper.
“The great thing about this sport is you can write your own story… I’m trying to write the story of returning to dominance and my winning ways.”
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Rountree (14-6) found many small victories in his loss to Pereira. Many deemed him undeserving to challenge Pereira for the light heavyweight title and foolish for wanting to strike with him. Rountree stuck to his guns and exceeded expectations early. He took to rounds from Pereira, outstriking the two-division Glory kickboxing champion. Rountree fell apart to Pereira’s brutality, but elevated his stock in defeat.
“I remember being full of joy even through some of the worst moments,” Rountree told CBS Sports. “A lot of that fight was a dream come true. I was fighting Alex for a title. I won the first two rounds and felt great about it. There was a lot of positivity even going into the fourth round, knowing I’d taken damage in the third. I was never discouraged. Even until the last punch that put me down, I wasn’t discouraged.
“I had to go through hell for that loss.”
Check out the full interview with Khalil Rountree Jr. below.
Saturday’s co-main event yields a lot of violence. Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahmondes have more knockout wins on their record than by any other method. Fiziev shouldn’t be written off despite three consecutive losses. Fiziev gave Justin Gaethje two tough fights and suffered a knee injury against Mateusz Gamrot. Bahamondes looks ready to ascend. He’s finished his last three opponents, including Jalin Turner.
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the latest odds before we get to a prediction and pick on the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Jamahal Hill -115 | Khalil Rountree Jr. -105 | Light heavyweight |
| Ignacio Bahamondes -130 | Rafael Fiziev +110 | Lightweight |
| Curtis Blaydes -250 | Rizvan Kuniev +205 | Heavyweight |
| Myktybek Orolbai -160 | Tofiq Musayev +135 | Lightweight |
| Nazim Sadykhov -420 | Nikolas Motta +330 | Lightweight |
| Muhammad Naimov -275 | Bogdan Grad +225 | Featherweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: June 21 | Start time: 3 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: Baku Crystal Hall — Baku, Azerbaijan
TV channel: ABC | Stream: fubo (try for free)
Prediction
Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.: The light heavyweight division lacks depth but, excluding champion Magomed Ankalaev, the weight class benefits from being top-heavy with strikers. It’s unlikely Hill and Rountree lay an egg on Saturday. They’re comparably durable with three KO losses each. Hill is historically more accurate and elusive, while Rountree hits harder. The close odds accurately reflect the narrow gap between them. The most important assessment to make might be how much damage they’ve taken recently. Damage compounds, and both men have taken a beating recently. Rountree’s face was peeling off under Pereira’s barrage, but Hill’s consecutive KO losses concern me more. I suspect Hill will lead the dance until Rountree puts his lights out. Rountree via KO3
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