The world of mixed martial arts has been eyeing the upcoming battle between Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jamahall Hill for quite a while now. Both light heavyweight contenders faced pretty heavy blows from Alex Pereira in their recent matches, and both of them lost via a knockout. Don’t you think this makes the man with the hands of stone the perfect man to weigh in on the main event for UFC Baku? Well, even ‘Poatan’ thought so. And he did give us his opinion on the matchup between the two.
When Pereira fought Hill at UFC 300, the bout ended up within the very first round. All the Brazilian had to do was step in and send a left hook that sent ‘Sweet Dreams’ to the dreamland. But things became a bit messy later on, as Hill began complaining about the outcome of the fight. He refused to admit that he got KOed. In his defense, Hill claimed that Pereira closed in the distance between them during what the Michigan-based fighter believed was an official timeout that Herb Dean provided him with due to an apparent groin hit. And that seemed to have ticked the Brazilian in the wrong way.
On the other hand, Pereira went on up to the fourth round against Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. ‘War Horse’ showed an immense tenacity when he fought ‘Poatan’. Rountree clearly dominated the first two rounds of the bout, proving that he was a worthy opponent for the then-champion. However, one mistake got Pereira the opening he needed to smash Rountree’s face. And things began to tumble down for the LA-born fighter. Finally, Pereira dropped him down with some beautiful uppercuts. So, who exactly has the better chances of winning at Baku, according to Pereira?
UFC Canada recently shared a video of Pereira talking about the matchup between ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘War Horse’. In the video, he claimed, “They’re both great fighters and well-rounded. I fought them both, so I can say something more accurate. They’re both dangerous. But I think by my fight against Khalil, I see him having some advantage against Jamahal. That’s my opinion.”
Alex Pereira picks Khalil Rountree to beat Jamahal Hill this weekend at #UFCBaku
“I think by my fight against Khalil, I see him having some advantage against Jamahal. That’s my opinion.”
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 17, 2025
However, the #4 light heavyweight contender had a difference of opinion. Of course, he had to put in some pressure to intimidate his opponent and boost his own morale. But there was absolutely no way Hill would have willingly talked about a loss against ‘War Horse’. All he had was confidence.
Jamahal Hill denies Alex Pereira and issues a warning for Khalil Rountree Jr. ahead of UFC Baku
Talking to MMA Junkie following an unofficial faceoff with the #7 light heavyweight contender, Hill tried to assert dominance. He said, “Let’s not disrespect him, but I just don’t see him on my level. He can hit you with some big shots, and he’s never going to stop, and never going to quit and give up. There ain’t no back down from him. I haven’t seen anything from anything that makes me think, ‘This dude is on your level.’ Is he dangerous to anybody? It’s a fight.”
‘Sweet Dreams’ continued, “In a fight, anybody can land a shot, and that makes them dangerous and can change the fight. He has my respect in that regard, but to think skill-for-skill he can match with me? I don’t see it that. Right now I’m not thinking about titles. I’m not thinking about rankings. I’m thinking about going in and dominating Kahlil Rountree on Saturday night.”
Rountree is actually 3 inches shorter than Hill. This also accounts for ‘War Horse’s shorter reach. So, if the duo had to battle it out on their feet, Rountree would be the one at a disadvantage. However, he’s also the one with better tenacity. Rountree can take some heavy blows with 4.51 significant strikes absorbed per minute. And the numbers for Hill are only 4.02 significant strikes.
But as the anticipation around the event kept rising, Hill got in a bit of trouble. According to sources, ‘Sweet Dreams’ missed his flight to Baku, Azerbaijan, and arrived a bit late. This put the fighter out of Michigan in the clutches of jet lag. Which means, he’d have quite a bit of difficulty managing his circadian rhythm and maintaining his energy levels at the stipulated time. Even Rountree Jr. admitted that jet lag is a real danger. He claimed, “It comes in waves, but we’re fighting it. Chris and I are fighting it like we’re fighting two men vs. a gorilla. The gorilla is the jet lag.” But let’s assume that the fighters manage to get over their jet lag. Who do you think will win the bout? Will Pereira’s prediction come true on 21 June 2025? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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