UFC Baku Picks for Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. and Other Fights on June 21

UFC Baku odds suggest the June 21 event is going to be a real banger. The most exciting fight on the card is the UFC Light Heavyweight clash between two former title challengers, Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr., which will serve as the headliner.

The co-main event – Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes – also has huge potential given that both fighters are incredible finishers. We’ll see plenty of KOs next Saturday, we’re sure of that, and to see which fighters we expect to see get put to sleep, just keep on reading.

Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. – Another KO/TKO Loss for “Sweet Dreams”

Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. is a straight-up do-or-die scrap. Both got wrecked by Alex Pereira last year while fighting for the title, but they’re still ranked in the Top 10. That won’t last for the loser, though.

Hill’s been flying high in the division – he’s fourth in the rankings – but he’s been sliding since beating an aging Teixeira. He hasn’t won since then, and last year, we saw him get flattened by “Poatan.” In his most recent fight, he lost to Jiri Prochazka by TKO.

Meanwhile, Rountree’s on a tear, even if his last fight ended in a loss. He gave Pereira a war and stayed upright through 127 strikes. That’s wild given that “Poatan” is famous for his punch power – this guy’s KO-to-win ratio is 83.33%.

Not only is he hard to beat, but he’s also a super incredible striker with four KOs in his last six outings. He’s a master of Muay Thai, who’s big and strong yet moves like a middleweight.

Khalil’s the more dangerous man right now. He’s faster, nastier, and a nightmare in close range.

Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes: Striking War to End in a KO

Fiziev’s back is against the wall, and he’s desperate for a win. Once pegged as the next big thing at lightweight, he’s now riding a brutal three-fight skid.

The most recent loss? A short-notice rematch with Gaethje, where he just didn’t look ready. Add in a knee injury and a year-plus layoff, and it’s been rough. But he’s still dangerous, with super-fast hands, nasty leg kicks, and the home crowd in Azerbaijan to root for him.

Bahamondes is a similar fighter. He’s slick on the feet and tough as nails, with 17 wins in his portfolio, 11 by KO, and has never been finished. He’s got volume and a solid chin, but he’s never dealt with a sniper like Fiziev.

His best win came via triangle choke, but don’t expect this one to hit the mat. This is a striking war, and Fiziev’s precision and power will make all the difference. If he shows up dialed in, Bahamondes won’t last.

Our prediction is that, after an initial exchange of a huge volume of strikes, Fiziev will land a powerful cross or a head kick and turn the lights off for Bahamondes.

UFC Baku Picks for All Remaining Fights

• Curtis Blaydes to Beat Rizvan Kuniev
• Myktybek Orolbai to Beat Tofiq Musayev
• Nazim Sadykhov to Beat Nikolas Motta
• Muhammad Naimov to Beat Bogdan Grad
• Oban Elliott to Beat Ko Seok-hyun
• Tagir Ulanbekov to Beat Azat Maksum
• Park Jun-yong to Beat Ismail Naurdiev
• Melissa Mullins to Beat Daria Zheleznyakova
• Irina Alekseeva to Beat Klaudia Syguła
• Hamdy Abdelwahab to Beat Mohammed Usman

Curtis Blaydes’ last fight was against Tom Aspinall, in which the two fought for the interim UFC Heavyweight title. Blaydes lost the fight by KO after only 60 seconds, but this doesn’t make him a noob. It only means that Aspinall is a hell of a fighter.

Now, Blaydes needs to prove that he belongs among the elite. For that, he needs to steamroll Rizvan Kuniev, a Dagestan native who’s making his UFC debut this coming Saturday. He’s a powerful striker, but we think Curtis can deal with him.

We also think Myktybek Orolbai will have no problems dealing with Tofiq Musayev. He’s way more dangerous than his opponent and also has more power in him. That said, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a finish.

And we could even see a finish in the first fight of the evening – Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman – but who’s gonna finish who?

Hamdi is a former Greco-Roman wrestler who’s 5-for-6 when it comes to KO/TKO wins. Meanwhile, Usman is 10-4, with six finishes. It sounds good, but Kamaru Usman’s brother lost his last two fights and is in desperate need of an impressive win to secure himself a few more years in the UFC. That said, we think he’s gonna go all in at UFC Baku and get a stoppage win.