MMA fans are in for a treat this summer as the UFC has several months of incredible events planned, and the next event on the promotion’s calendar is UFC Fight Night Baku. The UFC’s first trip to Azerbaijan sees the card headlined by a huge, blockbuster five-round light heavyweight main event between former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr, who competed in one of the best fights of 2024 against Alex Pereira, where he put up a great fight but was worn down and stopped by the Brazilian in the fourth round.
Like Rountree Jr., Hill also has experience inside the Octagon against ‘Poatan.’ The two headlined UFC 300 against each other, and just like Rountree Jr did, Hill also fell victim to Pereira’s devastating power and shot selection, subsequently getting knocked out cold with a brutal left hook. With Pereira’s knowledge of both Hill and Rountree Jr from having shared the Octagon with them, there is surely no better man to predict what will happen when the two meet in Baku this upcoming weekend.
During a new video uploaded to the UFC’s social media channels, ‘Poatan’ gave his prediction for the light heavyweight blockbuster, and he sees a clear winner.
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Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr’s professional MMA records (as of 17/06/25) |
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|---|---|---|
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Jamahal Hill |
Khalil Rountree Jr |
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Fights |
16 |
20 |
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Wins |
12 |
13 |
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Losses |
3 |
6 |
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No contests |
1 |
1 |
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Alex Pereira Backs Khalil Rountree Jr to Defeat Jamahal Hill
‘Poatan’ has experience in the Octagon against both Rountree Jr and Hill
UFC Fight Night Baku goes down this upcoming weekend, and the huge light heavyweight fight which is headlining the card, Jamahal Hill vs Khalil Rountree Jr, is guaranteed to be a barnburner. Both Hill and Rountree Jr are top contenders at 205lbs, and in the last year or so, they have both gone against the division’s former champion, Alex Pereira, with gold on the line.
Ahead of the blockbuster clash between two of the most entertaining light heavyweight fighters on the planet, ‘Poatan’ has submitted his official prediction for the fight. The Brazilian powerhouse, in a video uploaded to the UFC’s social media channels, backed Rountree Jr to come out of Azerbaijan victorious.
“They’re both great fighters and well-rounded. I fought them both, so I can say something more accurate. They’re both dangerous, but I think by my fight against Khalil (Rountree Jr), I see him having some advantage against Jamahal (Hill). That’s my opinion.”
The advantage which Pereira is referring to is seemingly in the striking department, as although Hill does have the ability to shut people’s lights out on the feet, many fans, analysts and fighters would agree that Rountree Jr has a technical advantage and is a lot more diverse and creative with his striking, as seen in his last Octagon outing against ‘Poatan.’
Could the Damage Rountree Jr Endured at UFC 307 Play a Significant Role in the Fight?
Rountree Jr was left with several brutal injuries following his war against Alex Pereira
Although Khalil Rountree Jr is the bookmaker’s favourite and is being backed by Alex Pereira to defeat Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC Fight Night Baku, there is a lot of natural concern from fans about the level of damage Rountree Jr took in his most recent fight against ‘Poatan’ at UFC 307.
Although the large majority of MMA fans came away from UFC 307 with nothing but praise and admiration for Rountree Jr’s gutsy performance, in the third and fourth rounds especially, he took an unbelievable amount of damage to the body and head and was left with several brutal injuries. The No.7-ranked light heavyweight contender suffered a badly broken nose and a nasty cut on his right eyelid, and although he is around eight and a half months removed from that fight, his nose still looks far from 100% healed.
With that in mind, although Hill was also stopped in his last fight by Jiri Prochazka, he could have a slight advantage as it has been seen many times before in the UFC, when a fighter takes as much damage as Rountree Jr did against Pereira, it is incredibly rare if they come back the same fighter.
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