Winners And Losers Hill Vs. Rountree Fight Card

The UFC was at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan, for today’s UFC Baku fight card. The June 21 UFC on ABC event featured a main event between former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and recent 205-pound title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. Meanwhile, in the co-main event of the UFC Fight Night card, Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes met in the lightweight scrap. The UFC Baku results, winners and losers and more were updated live throughout tonight’s UFC Fight Night card.

The main card of UFC Baku aired on ABC at 3 p.m. ET, following prelims on ESPN2, which began at noon ET.

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UFC Baku Results – Winners

Khalil Rountree Jr.: Khalil Rountree Jr fought an incredibly smart five rounds on Saturday. He never overextended himself or put himself in serious danger. He exposed Jamahal Hill’s weaknesses and fought to those weaknesses, picking apart his opponent’s legs and coming over the top with power punches when Hill let his striking defense slip. He made the win look easy, because it was.

Rafael Fiziev: Rafael Fiziev ended a three-fight losing skid on Saturday night by fighting to his strengths while exploiting the openings his opponent, Ignacio Bahamondes, provided him. Fiziev was at a height and reach disadvantage in this lightweight matchup, but he used his speed, fight IQ, and power to pick up the victory, his first since he knocked out Rafael dos Anjos in 2022.

Curtis Blaydes: Curtis Blaydes entered UFC Baku as the No. 5 ranked UFC heavyweight. His task was to defeat the unranked Rizvan Kuniev, who made his UFC debut on Saturday. Blaydes pulled out the split decision win, but he said after the fight that he was unhappy with his performance and that he was largely in survival mode after injuring his knee in the first round. After the fight, Blaydes called for a matchup against former interim UFC heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane in November or December.

Myktybek Orolbai: Myktybek Orolbai bounced back from a “Fight of the Night” loss at UFC 308 with a dominant win at UFC Baku. Orolbai did not force anything in his fight against Tofiq Musayev; instead, he took what his opponent gave him, which was the opportunity to get the fight to the mat via leg kicks that Orolbai caught and turned into takedowns. With his third takedown in the first round, Orolbai quickly worked to a kimura submission.

Orolbai looked good in dismantling Musayev.

Nazim Sadykhov: Nikolas Motta hurt Nazim Sadykhov early in the first round, but Sadykhov weathered the flurry of punches that Motta threw in the hope of ending the fight, which was the turning point of this lightweight scrap. Motta got back into the fight, but he did not have the same pop on his strikes, which allowed Sadykhov to utilize his crisp strikes to open a nasty cut on the Motta’s forehead before overwhelming his opponent with volume and power to end things late in the second stanza.

Seokhyeon Ko: Seokhyeon Ko made a statement in the featured preliminary fight on the UFC Baku fight card. Ko entered the event as one of the biggest betting underdogs on the event, but he cruised to victory over Oban Elliott.

Ko entered Saturday’s event with an 11-2 record with six knockouts and five decisions. His nickname of “The Korean Tyson” would lead one to believe that grappling would not be his strong suit. However, Ko did an excellent job of dominating Elliott on the mat during their welterweight scrap, using strong judo skills to get the fight to the mat. Not only was he heavy on top, but he racked up damage with elbows while also looking for openings for submissions.

Ko will be in line for a much tougher opponent after how good he looked at UFC Baku.

Junyong Park: Junyong Park probably should not have been fighting past the point in the second round when Ismail Naurdiev blasted him with an illegal knee in their middleweight scrap. However, Park did continue, thanks to some confusing officiating. He then went on to take over the fight, dominating an exhausted Naurdiev, who had two points deducted for landing that illegal strike.

After the fight, Park still could not open his eye.

Daria Zhelezniakova: Daria Zhelezniakova used her striking and aggression to pick up a decision win over Melissa Mullins in a rematch. Mullins defeated Zhelezniakova via TKO in 2022 on an Ares card.

Klaudia Sygula: Klaudia Sygula might not have had the power in her strikes of her opponent, but what she had was the ability to find openings for counters because Irina Alekseeva was throwing everything with maximum power. Sygula also did a nice job of drawing Alekseeva in with her aggression.

Sygula and her team had an excellent game plan for this fight, and their fighter picked up some bonus points late in the bout with a late takedown that showed she has ground control skills and can also fire off strikes from that position.

Tagir Ulanbekov: Tagir Ulanbekov was very reliant on his wrestling during his 15 minutes in the cage opposite. The problem for him was that Maksum was ready for that approach, thwarting all of his takedown attempts. When Ulanbekov focused on his striking, he was more effective than his opponent, fighting well behind a jab while also landing at a fairlygood clip, connecting on 57 percent of his significant strikes.

Mohammed Usman: Mohammed Usman defeated Hamdy Abdelwahab in the opening fight of the UFC Baku card. It was a low volume striking affair that will do little for Usman’s future prospects.

UFC Baku Results – Losers

Jamahal Hill: Jamahal Hill seemed shocked when he heard that he had lost to Khalil Rountree by two scores of 50-45. He shouldn’t have been.

If Hill thinks his opponents should engage him in a slugfest, he’s in for a surprise going forward. Rountree showed everyone that if they take away Hill’s ability to land with power, he has no back up plan.

With three losses in a row, it’s time for the former champ to find that back up or he will continue to slide down the UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Jamahal Hill’s corner: Jamahal Hill was clearly losing the fight heading into the fifth round. His corner had to be aware of that. Still, they told him the fight was close. They should have told him he needed a knockout to win because he did. They did not give their fighter the information he needed to win the fight.

Ignacio Bahamondes: Ignacio Bahamondes’s climb up the UFC lightweight rankings ended on Saturday with a decision loss to Rafael Fiziev. Bahamondes had stopped his previous three opponents, but came up short in the biggest test of his UFC career. Bahamondes is a talented competitor, but he needs to do a better job of using his height and reach advantages.

Rizvan Kuniev: Rizvan Kuniev made his UFC debut on Saturday. Kuniev looked pretty good against Blaydes when he was able to use his striking in the heavyweight matchup. If he can keep his future fights in the open, Kuniev will give lower ranked UFC heavyweights problems.

Tofiq Musayev: Tofiq Musayev made an enormous mistake in the first round of his fight against Myktybek Orolbai. His error was throwing a second low kick after his first attempt at that technique resulted in an Orolbai takedown. The second kick attempt had the same result, but it also led to Orolbai securing the fight-ending submission.

Nikolas Motta: Nikolas Motta had Nazim Sadykhov hurt in the first round, but his decision to spam his opponent with volume instead of targeted strikes to end the fight likely sapped his energy. With Motta using so much energy looking for the finish, Sadykhov took advantage of his compromised oppenent to get a finish of his own.

Oban Elliott: Oban Elliott entered UFC Baku on an eight-fight winning streak. That run came to an end on Saturday when Seokhyeon Ko exposed a gap in Elliott’s game, his inability to get off the mat. Elliott was one of the biggest betting favorites on the UFC Baku card.

Officials: Ismail Naurdiev landed an illegal knee in the second round that left Junyong Park with a cut above his left eye. While Park was recovering, it seemed as if Park’s coach told the ref and doctor that the fighter could not open his eye, which should have called for the fight to be waved off. However, the doctor said Park was okay, and the fight continued, which was puzzling.

Irina Alekseeva: Irina Alekseeva’s approach against Klaudia Sygula was forward pressure and aggression. The problem for her was that Klaudia Sygula was ready for that style of fight. Once Sygula established her counters, Alekseeva did not adjust, and that cost her.

Azat Maksum: Azat Maksum showed perfect defensive wrestling awareness throughout his three-round flyweight fight against Tagir Ulanbekov. However, Maksum’s striking was slightly less powerful and much less accurate than his foe’s on Saturday, only connecting at a rate of 38 percent.

UFC Baku Fight Card Results

UFC Tonight: UFC Baku Main Card Results

Khalil Rountree Jr. defeats Jamahal Hill via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)

Rafael Fiziev defeats Ignacio Bahamondes via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Curtis Blaydes defeats Rizvan Kuniev via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Myktybek Orolbai defeats Tofiq Musayev via submission at 4:35 of Round 1 (Kimura from side control)

Nazim Sadykhov defeats Nikolas Motta via TKO at 4:17 of Round 2 (Punches to head at distance)

Muhammad Naimov defeats Bogdan Grad via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

UFC Tonight: UFC Baku Preliminary Card Results

Seokhyeon Ko defeats Oban Elliott via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Junyong Park defeats Ismail Naurdiev via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-25)

Daria Zhelezniakova defeats Melissa Mullins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Klaudia Sygula defeats Irina Alekseeva via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Tagir Ulanbekov defeats Azat Maksum via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Mohammed Usman defeats Hamdy Abdelwahab via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

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UFC Baku Results: Video Highlights

UFC Baku Results: Fight Night Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Nazim Sadykhov vs. Nikolas Motta

Performance of the Night: Nazim Sadykhov

Performance of the Night: Nikolas Motta

UFC Baku Results: Official Scorecards

UFC Baku Main Event Preview: Jamahal Hill Vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.

Jamahal Hill (12-3-0-1) had a 5-0 record when he appeared on a Dana White Contender Series card in July 2019. He won that fight against Alexander Poppeck by TKO in the third round. The victory earned him a UFC contract.

Hill made his official UFC debut in January 2020, winning a decision over Darko Stosic on the main card of an ESPN+ event at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. He then faced Klidson Abreu in May 2020. He initially won that bout by first-round TKO, but the result was later overturned to a no-contest because Hill tested positive for marijuana

He followed that fight with a December 2020 TKO over former interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux.

Hill’s unbeaten streak ended in his next trip to the Octagon, when Paul Craig ended their June 2021 fight in under two minutes by TKO.

Hill bounced back from that loss by rattling off three straight “Performance of the Night” bonus-winning knockouts. That run earned him a shot at then-champion Glover Teixeira. Hill put on a striking clinic in that fight, battering Teixeira over five rounds to earn a one-sided decision win and the UFC 205-pound crown. That fight headlined UFC 283 in January 2023.

Misfortune ended Hill’s title reign. In July 2023, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during a UFC fighter basketball game. He relinquished the title and underwent surgery to repair the injury.

Hill returned at UFC 300 in a matchup against UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira. Pereira ended that fight via knockout at the 3:14 mark of the first round.

Hill returned to the Octagon at UFC 311 when he faced former champ Jiri Prochazka on the main card. Prochazka ended that bout via TKO at 3:01 of Round 3.

Hill, the No. 4 ranked UFC light heavyweight, has seven wins by knockout and five decision victories. His three losses have come via knockout.

Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-6-0-1) joined the UFC in July 2016 when a loss to Andrew Sanchez in the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter dropped him to 4-1 as a pro.

A submission loss to Tyson Pedro followed Rountree’s defeat to Sanchez. However, Rountree went 3-0-0-1 after that setback, scoring three knockout wins in his victories. A knockout loss to Johnny Walker, who Rountree was favored to beat, ended his unbeaten streak.

A decision victory over Eryk Anders in April 2019 got Rountree back in the win column, but a TKO loss to Ion Cutelaba and a decision setback against Marcin Prachnio followed.

In September 2021, the UFC matchmakers booked Rountree against Modestas Bukauskas. He won that scrap via TKO. That win was the first of five consecutive victories for Rountree.

Rountree was scheduled to face former UFC light heavyweight champ Jamahal Hill in June, but a self-reported drug test failure knocked him from that card. The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Rountree 4.5 months for that drug test failure.

When Rountree returned to action it was at UFC 307 in the main event of the pay-per-view card opposite then-UFC 205-pound champion Alex Pereira. Pereira battered Rountree before ending the fight via TKO in the fourth round.

Rountree has nine knockout wins and four decision victories. His losses have come by knockout (three), submission (one) and decision (two). He is the No. 7 ranked competitor in the UFC’s 205-pound weight class.

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UFC Baku Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions – Jamahal Hill Vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.

When the betting odds opened for this matchup, Rountree was a -160 betting favorite over the +135 Hill. Today, the fight is a pick ’em, with Rountree at -105 and Hill at -115.

Bettors are leaning toward Hill. The ex-champ has picked up 64 percent of the bets and 80 percent of the handle heading into UFC Baku.

I’m leaning toward Rountree. While both men are strikers with power, Rountree is the more well-rounded competitor. If he can expose the openings in Hill’s defense, Rountree will get the win.

UFC Baku Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions – Rafael Fiziev Vs. Ignacio Bahamondes

When the opening odds for the UFC Balu co-main event were announced for the lightweight matchup between Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes, Fiziev was the -135 favorite over the +110 Bahamondes. Those odds have flipped. Today, Fiziev is the +110 underdog to the -135 Bahamondes. Fiziev enters tonight’s fight card as the No. 11 fighter in the official UFC 155-pound rankings, while Bahamondes is unranked.

Fiziev (12-4) is riding a three-fight losing skid, with his most recent setback being a March 2025 decision defeat to Justin Gaethje. Bahamondes (17-5) has won his past three outings. most recently submitting Jalin Turner at UFC 313.

The pick is Bahamondes to win via decision.

*Odds via BetMGM

UFC Baku results, winners and losers and more will be updated live throughout tonight’s pay-per-view card.