The light heavyweight division has always been a hotbed of personalities and grudges. There was a time when Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier couldn’t be in the same room without security. Or when Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell turned their rivalry into pay per view gold.The promotion’s first venture into Azerbaijan became the stage for a brewing feud between Khalil Rountree Jr and champion Magomed Ankalaev.<\/p>
Rountree stepped into the octagon against former champion Jamahal Hill. What started as a methodical victory for Rountree quickly turned into a war of words that has the MMA<\/a> world talking about more than just leg kicks and takedown defense.<\/p> Khalil Rountree Jr. walked into UFC Baku carrying the pressure of needing a statement win. The 35-year-old striker had been knocking on the door of title contention for years, and he got his shot recently against Alex Pereira (whom he lost against). Against Jamahal Hill, a former champion looking to bounce back from two straight losses, Rountree knew he needed a performance that would force the division’s top names to take notice.<\/p> The American delivered exactly that kind of performance. Rountree’s game plan was beautifully simple yet brutally effective. He systematically broke down Hill’s legs with punishing kicks that echoed through the Baku Crystal Hall. When the final bell rang, even Hill seemed to acknowledge the beating he had taken, approaching Rountree with what appeared to be a mix of respect and bewilderment.<\/p>Khalil Rountree’s Dominant Performance Sets Up Callout<\/h2>