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USA Today
24-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Khalil Rountree reveals serious injury suffered weeks away from Jamahal Hill fight
Khalil Rountree credits his team for helping him battle through adversity heading into his fight against Jamahal Hill. Rountree (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) defeated Hill by unanimous decision in Saturday's UFC on ABC 8 headliner at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. The former title challenger was able to knock down and outstrike Hill, but wasn't 100 percent going into the matchup. Rountree opened up on his struggles to make it to the fight. "About halfway through training camp, when I was training jiu-jitsu, was the first time I felt some discomfort in my knee," Rountree said on his YouTube channel. "Just from training with bigger guys and doing four sessions per day on top of like running and jiu-jitsu and pads, that's when I first started feeling the discomfort. Then it only grew from there until one day I woke up, and it was just really hard for me to walk and even stand. So, I got it checked out and ended up having a torn meniscus. Once I found out what the injury was, I think it was only about three weeks away from actual fight day. "So, it was obviously stressful, but I just had amazing, positive support to keep going, to not let it affect my mental and do whatever I could to push through it. ... Initially I was devastated, and I wasn't really able to train how I really wanted to, but it was kind of a blessing in disguise because I came into the cage really fresh because I haven't been able to spar in three weeks. There hasn't really been a lot of contact. The last three weeks had just been recovery on top of getting sick during fight week. Had I not had such a positive, supportive group of coaches, I don't think I would have gotten this far and done it on my own. I think I would have crumbled. So, it all paid off." Rountree rebounded from his title loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 307 by defeating former champion Hill. The Season 23 "Ultimate Fighter" finalist now has won six of his past seven fights.
USA Today
22-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 8 post-event facts: Azerbaijan debut gets historically long card
The debut of the octagon in Azerbaijan will not be an event that hold in the memory bank after 10 of 12 bouts on Saturday's UFC on ABC 8 card at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku went to the scorecards. Among the fights to go the distance was the main event, where Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) largely battered Jamahal Hill (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) over five rounds to claim a unanimous decision and the biggest win of his career. For more inside the numbers in the aftermath of the card, check below for MMA Junkie's post-event facts from UFC on ABC 8. Event stats The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $155,000. Debuting fighters went 1-2 at the event. Nazim Sadykhov and Nikolas Motta earned $100,000 UFC on ABC 8 fight-night bonuses. UFC on ABC 8 had an announced attendance of 14,424. No live gate was revealed. Betting favorites went 7-5 on the card. Betting favorites fell to 13-8 in UFC headliners this year. Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:53:52. It marked the longest 12-bout card in UFC history and the 11th longest fight card in company history overall. Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Jamahal Hill Rountree Jr.'s 14 knockdowns landed in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Chuck Liddell and Mauricio Rua for most in divisional history. Hill suffered three consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn't earned a victory since January 2023. Hill suffered the first decision loss of his career. Rafael Fiziev def. Ignacio Bahamondes Rafael Fiziev (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) snapped a three-fight losing skid for his first victory since July 2022. Ignacio Bahamondes (17-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision. Curtis Blaydes def. Rizvan Kuniev Curtis Blaydes' (19-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) 14 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fifth-most in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (23), Derrick Lewis (19), Frank Mir (16) and Junior Dos Santos (15). Blaydes' 64 takedowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history. Rizvan Kuniev (13-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by decision. Myktybek Orolbai def. Tofiq Musayev Myktybek Orolbai (14-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned 12 of his 14 career victories by stoppage. Tofiq Musayev (22-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage.. Nazim Sadykhov def. Nikolas Motta Nazim Sadykhov (11-1-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC) has earned 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage. That includes all four of his UFC win. Nikolas Motta (15-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has suffered all six of his career losses by stoppage. He's been knocked out in all three of his UFC defeats. Muhammad Naimov def. Bogdan Grad Muhammad Naimov (13-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned three of his five UFC victories by decision. Bogdan Grad (15-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has suffered two of his three career losses by decision. JunYong Park def. Ismail Naurdiev JunYong Park (19-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC) has earned six of his nine UFC victories by decision. Ismail Naurdiev (24-8 MMA, 3-3 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2024. Naurdiev has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision. **Naurdiev was the X fighter in UFC history to be deducted two points in a fight for a foul. Daria Zhelezniakova def. Melissa Mullins Daria Zhelezniakova (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of her UFC victories by decision. Melissa Mullins (7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of her career losses by decision. Klaudia Sygula def. Irina Alekseeva Irina Alekseeva (5-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered all three of her career losses by decision. Tagir Ulanbekov def. Azat Maksum Tagir Ulanbekov's (18-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at flyweight is tied for the second-longest active streak in the division behind Alexandre Pantoja (seven). Ulanbekov has earned four of his six UFC victories by decision. Azat Maksum (17-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 17-0. Maksum has suffered both of his career losses by decision. Mohammed Usman def. Hamdy Abdelwahab Hamdy Abdelwahab (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his seven-fight unbeaten streak snapped for the first defeat of his career. UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
USA Today
22-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Khalil Rountree Jr. after UFC on ABC 8 win?
Khalil Rountree Jr. proved he's levelled up to an elite tier on Saturday when he thoroughly defeated former champion Jamahal Hill at UFC on ABC 8. Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) rebounded from a title-fight loss to then-champ Alex Pereira in October by methodically breaking down Hill (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) over for the course of five rounds for a unanimous decision in the headliner at Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan. Although he claimed his worth for a title shot post-fight, it might not be that easy for Rountree Jr. What's next? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis after his UFC on ABC 8 win. Khalil Rountree Jr. wants a title shot after his UFC Baku win over Jamahal Hill, but is it realistic? We break it down.
USA Today
22-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 8 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Curtis Blaydes among $16,000 earners
BAKU – Fighters from Saturday's UFC on ABC 8 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $155,000. The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy. UFC on ABC 8 takes place Saturday at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. The main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. The full UFC on ABC 8 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included: Khalil Rountree Jr.: $16,000 def. Jamahal Hill: $11,000 Rafael Fiziev: $11,000 def. Ignacio Bahamondes: $6,000 Curtis Blaydes: $16,000 def. Rizvan Kuniev: $4,000 Myktybek Orolbai: $4,500 def. Tofiq Musaev: $4,000 Nazim Sadykhov: $4,500 def. Nikolas Motta: $6,000 Muhammad Naimov: $6,000 vs. Bogdan Grad: $4,000 Seokhyeon Ko: $4,000 def. Oban Elliott: $4,500 JunYong Park: $11,000 def. Ismail Naurdiev: $6,000 Daria Zhelezniakova: $4,000 def. Melissa Mullins: $4,500 Klaudia Sygula: $4,000 def. Irina Alekseeva: $4,000 Tagir Ulanbekov: $6,000 def. Azat Maksum: $4,000 Mohammed Usman: $6,000 def. Hamdy Abdelwahab: $4,000 Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program's payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum's multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $7,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $17,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000. In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials. Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts: Year-to-date total: $3,378,000 2024 total: $8,280,500 2023 total: $8,188,000 2022 total: $8,351,500 2021 total: $6,167,500 Program-to-date total: $34,395,500 UFC on ABC 8 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC's deal with Venum. UFC on ABC 8 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay:
USA Today
21-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 8 results: Khalil Rountree outpoints Jamahal Hill for scorecard sweep
Khalil Rountree is 1-for-1 since fighting Alex Pereira. In the UFC on ABC 8 main event Saturday, Rountree (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) picked apart former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill for 25 minutes to earn a unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45) victory. The bout headlined the promotion's debut event at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku Azerbaijan. Over the course of five rounds, Rountree appeared to be a step ahead of Hill. He used his signature technical kickboxing approach to outpoint and seemingly frustrate Hill. Rountree knocked Hill down multiple times, including twice in Round 3. But Hill was never close to being finished. The frustration was evident post-fight, as Hill confronted Rountree in the cage, seemingly questioning the lack of aggression and action from his opponent. Rountree responded that Hill was difficult to read. Hill seemed shocked on the reading of the official decision, as he lost every round in the judes' eyes, except for one round from one judge. With the victory, Rountree moves to 6-1 in his most recent seven. He bounces back from his title shot loss to Pereira in October. Despite being a heavy underdog, Rountree took the fight to Peireira and found success before he ultimately was finished in Round 4. Hill, 34, moves to 0-3 since he vacated the title in July 2023 due an Achilles tendon injury suffered in a celebrity basketball game. Full UFC Baku results include:
