Preview:

UFC is in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the first time ever TODAY (Sat., June 21, 2025), hosting UFC Baku from inside Baku Crystal Hall, featuring a Light Heavyweight showdown between Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. In the co-main event, Rafael Fiziev will face Ignacio Bahamondes in a Lightweight bout, streaming live on ESPN+ and ABC in the United States.

Both Rountree and Hill have knockout losses at the hands of Alex Pereira, and both would love nothing more than to earn a chance at revenge. That said, “Poatan” is no longer the Light Heavyweight kingpin after losing to Magomed Ankalaev, though Pereira may (or may not) have a chance to reclaim the throne soon enough. For now, Hill and Rountree are just looking to return to the win column and inch closer to the crown, regardless of who reigns supreme. Hill was perhaps the most unlikely UFC champion in 2023, which he earned by defeating Glover Teixeira. But, his reign was short-lived — he vacated because of an injury and then Pereira made easy work of him at UFC 300 upon his return . “Sweet Dreams” was knocked out by Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311 in his return fight. Now, he will attempt to avoid the first three-fight skid of his career, which would undoubtedly take him out of the championship picture indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Rountree Jr.’s fan-base grew immensely after his loss to Pereira since “War Horse” hung in with the former champion for a total of four rounds before he eventually fell victim to the world-class (and powerful) striking attack of “Poatan.” The loss snapped Rountree’s five-fight win streak, which took him two years to build. Now, the Octagon veteran wants to get back on track and hopefully not to fall further down the 205-pound pecking order. And a win over Hill would be great for his confidence and career aspirations. Both men do prefer to stand and bang, so this could be an all-out striking attack. I give the edge to Hill in that department (though not by much), but Rountree will not back down one bit, which could make for a great showing from both men.

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.