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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mike Bohn

Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree headlines UFC’s debut in Azerbaijan

The UFC will touch down in Azerbaijan for the first time this summer, and its bringing a light heavyweight contender main event with it.

At UFC Fight Night on June 21 at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, top 205-pound contenders Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree will meet in a five-round headliner, the promotion announced Friday.

Both fighters look to bounce back from TKO losses.

A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Hill (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) never lost his title. He was forced to vacate after an Achilles injury in a celebrity basketball game, then returned and was knocked out by Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 headliner in April. He returned in January and was finished by Jiri Prochazka via TKO.

Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) fought Pereira at UFC 307 in August as a sizeable underdog. Despite the odds, Rountree fought valiantly and had his moments against the champion. The fight was a grueling and violent affair. Rountree was finished in Round 4, but respect was heaped on him from every edge of the combat sports world for his performance.

The latest lineup for the card now includes:

  • Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
  • Ismail Naurdiev vs. JunYong Park
  • Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman
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