Khalil Rountree did what he had to stay in light heavyweight title contention.
In Saturday’s UFC Baku main event, Rountree put on a methodical striking performance to win a clear-cut unanimous decision over Jamahal Hill. The five-round bout was light on drama, but Rountree impressed by consistently beating Hill to the punch, chopping him down with leg kicks, and rarely allowing Hill to find any sort of rhythm.
Not everyone was wowed by the winning performance. UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev reacted negatively to the battle of top 10 contenders, tweeting, “I am falling asleep.” It doesn’t sound like Ankalaev will be campaigning for Rountree to be his first title defense anytime soon.
Making matters worse for Rountree and Hill was that they capped off an inaugural Azerbaijan fight that was filled with competitive matchups, but with few highlight-reel moments. Ten of the twelve UFC Baku bouts went the distance.
Check out social media reactions to Rountree vs. Hill below.
I am falling asleep
— Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) June 21, 2025
This is not karate
— Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) June 21, 2025
Your daddy is next Alex bum tree take a seat terrible fight
— Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) June 21, 2025
My bad , I feel asleep who won the main event !
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) June 21, 2025
Boring fight! “stuck in the mud” Easy #UFCBaku
— Dominick Reyes (@DomReyes) June 21, 2025
He broke down the base, now he’s going for the head, champion-level strategy. #UFCBaku
— Manel Kape (@ManelKape) June 21, 2025
Rountree is just is too fast and circling very well hill is tough man cause after that last calf kick I would told my corner we’ll get it back next time lol I’m done lmfao
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) June 21, 2025
Khalil looked great. Hill didn’t look like himself imo. #ufcbaku
— Roxanne Modafferi (@Roxyfighter) June 21, 2025
Big win for Rountree. Would love to see him fight Jiri Procházka next #UFCBaku
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) June 21, 2025
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