Khalil Rountree Sails Past Jamahal Hill in One-Sided UFC Baku Headliner

Khalil Rountree never deviated from the plan.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 finalist reasserted himself as a legitimate contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division, as he cruised to a five-round unanimous decision over onetime titleholder Jamahal Hill in the UFC on ABC 8 headliner on Saturday at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. Scores were 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45—all for Rountree (14-6, 10-6 UFC).

Hill (12-4, 6-4 UFC) had no recourse for the challenges with which he was presented. Rountree brutalized his lead leg with damaging kicks, broke down his base and turned him into a stationary target. His confidence grew as the bout progressed, allowing him to unleash his hands with more regularity. The Los Angeles native dropped Hill on multiple occasions and opened cuts near both eyes. Rountree circled away from danger in the waning seconds, secure in the fact that he had established himself as the superior fighter.

Meanwhile, Tiger Muay Thai cornerstone Rafael Fiziev outstruck and outgrappled former LUX Fight League champion Ignacio Bahamondes to a unanimous decision in their three-round lightweight co-main event. Fiziev (13-4, 7-4 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27s across the board, as he put an end to a three-fight losing streak.

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Bahamondes (17-6, 6-3 UFC) was a step behind throughout. Fiziev assaulted his midsection with powerful punching combinations, integrated takedowns when opportunities presented themselves and steered clear of the Chilean’s vaunted spinning attacks. He put an exclamation point on the performance late in the third round, where he secured a takedown, climbed to full mount and cut loose with a brief burst of ground-and-pound. The setback snapped Bahamondes’ run of consecutive victories at three.

Further down the main card, Elevation Fight Team mainstay Curtis Blaydes did just enough to eke out a split decision over former Eagle Fighting Championship titleholder Rizvan Kuniev in a three-round heavyweight feature. All three judges turned in 29-28 scorecards: Eric Colon and Darryl Ransom for Blaydes, Ben Cartlidge for Kuniev.

Blaydes (19-5, 14-5 UFC) spent extended periods of time in the clinch due to failed takedown attempts. Kuniev (12-3-1, 0-1 UFC) was superior in the standup exchanges, peppering the American with two-, three- and four-punch combinations, all while mixing in a few leg kicks and the occasional close-range knee strike. Blaydes bottled up the Russian along the fence for much of the third round, as he shifted to a rear waistlock and battered the legs with knees. Kuniev broke free in the waning seconds but failed to do enough to make up for lost time.

It was Kuniev’s first loss since Aug. 29, 2015.

Elsewhere, Uluu Kyrgyz Team rep Myktybek Orolbai disposed of Tofiq Musayev with a kimura in the first round of their catchweight attraction at 165 pounds. Musayev (22-6, 0-1 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 4:35 into Round 1, suffering his first submission defeat in more than four years.

Orolbai (14-2-1, 3-1 UFC) gave the Azerbaijan native no room with which to work. He crashed forward behind punches and completed multiple takedowns. Late in the first round, Orolbai grounded the Orion Fight Club star for the final time, set up in top position and framed the kimura. It soon became clear there was no escape for Musayev, who winced in pain and tapped.

The 27-year-old Orolbai has rattled off nine wins in 10 bouts.

Deeper into the draw, Serra-Longo Fight Team export Nazim Sadykhov put away ex-Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Nikolas Motta with punches in the second round of their lightweight firefight. Unbeaten over his past 12 appearances, Sadykhov (11-1-1, 4-0-1 UFC) brought it to a close 4:17 into Round 2.

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Motta (15-6, 3-3 UFC) excelled out of the gate. He stepped into a left hand and backed Sadykhov to the cage before unleashing a hailstorm of punches to the body and head, threatening to author a finish of his own in hostile territory. Eventually, Motta bled his gas tank dry. Sadykhov recovered, rallied and rode the momentum into the middle stanza. There, he hacked open a cut on Motta’s forehead with a close-range elbow and proceeded to methodically break down the Xtreme Couture standout with pace and volume. Sadykhov eventually pinned the Brazilian to the fence with punches, folded him with a right hook and connected with a few more follow-up shots before referee Lukasz Bosacki could arrive on the scene.

Sadykhov has nailed down eight of his 11 career victories by knockout or technical knockout.

Finally, Elevation Fight Team-trained Tajikistan native Muhammadjon Naimov won for the eighth time in nine appearances, as he took a unanimous decision from Bogdan Grad in a three-round featherweight appetizer. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Naimov (22-3, 5-1 UFC).

Neither man established much in the way of rhythm. Naimov dazed the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate with a spinning hook kick in the first round and kept his nose in front from there. Grad (15-3, 0-1 UFC) had his moments—he scored with kicks to all levels and a dogged clinch—but sputtered down the stretch. He jumped to a standing Naimov’s back in Round 3, only to be reversed and neutralized on the canvas.

The loss closed the book on Grad’s four-fight winning streak.

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