UFC has been to over its illustrious history as the Octagon touches down in Baku, Azerbaijan this weekend for the first time. Baku Crystal Hall is set to play host to a 12-fight card headlined by a tense light heavyweight clash between former champion Jamahal Hill and recent title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr., with the main card featuring three athletes representing the host nation, and the remainder of the lineup including a host of competitive and compelling bouts.
Hopefully the third time will be the charm as Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. once again try to step into the Octagon opposite one another in a battle for position in the light heavyweight hierarchy. Hill arrives in Baku seeking his first win since claiming the light heavyweight title at the start of 2023, having landed on the wrong side of things in consecutive outings against Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. The 34-year-old had positive moments in his UFC 311 clash with Prochazka in January, but ultimately got drawn into a firefight that he could not successfully navigate, and will have to avoid similar situations here if he hopes to get things moving in the right direction again.
Rountree Jr. opened a lot of eyes last October when he pushed Pereira more than any of his previous challengers in the 205-pound weight class had in the past at UFC 307. While he was ultimately stopped in the fourth round, the game and gutsy effort validated the former TUF finalist’s place in the championship bout, added greater depth and value to his previous five wins, and altered the way many people look at him as a competitor. These two have been booked to face off twice before, with each being at the root of a postponement once. There has been some jawing between the two, with Hill doing the lion’s share of the talking and Rountree Jr. eager to answer in the Octagon, which has brought added intrigue to this critical divisional clash.
Lightweight strikers occupy the co-main event slot on Saturday as Rafael Fiziev faces off with Ignacio Bahamondes. Fiziev, who represents Azerbaijan, makes his second appearance of the year, aiming to snap a three-fight skid. He suffered a knee injury during his bout with Mateusz Gamrot two fights back, then landed on the wrong side of the cards in a rematch with Justin Gaethje earlier this year, but remains a Top 15 mainstay and one of the most respected strikers in the division. Curtis Blaydes welcomes Rizvan Kuniev to the UFC in this intriguing clash between a perennial contender and a promotional newcomer in the heavyweight division. The Denver-based Blaydes has shared the Octagon with a who’s who of the heavyweight division over the last several years, establishing himself as a Top 5 fixture with wins over Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida. He landed on the wrong side of the results last time out in his rematch with interim champ Tom Aspinall, and looks to get things moving in the right direction here by spoiling Kuniev’s debut.
