The UFC is ready to enterprise into brand-new territory this summer time with its promotional debut in Azerbaijan.
On Friday, the UFC introduced a collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports activities of Azerbaijan and the Baku Metropolis Circuit Operations Firm to deliver a Battle Night time occasion to the Baku Crystal Corridor on June 21.
The upcoming occasion shall be headlined by a high-stakes conflict between top-ranked mild heavyweight contenders Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree.
The pair have been initially slated to satisfy in the primary occasion of UFC Kansas Metropolis on April 26, however the bout was scrapped final week after Hill withdrew because of an undisclosed damage.
“Candy Desires” final stepped into the Octagon at UFC 311 this previous January, the place he was stopped by former champion Jiří Procházka by way of a third-round knockout. That defeat got here on the heels of one other setback at UFC 300 in April 2024, the place Hill’s bid to reclaim the 205-pound crown resulted in a first-round end by the hands of Alex Pereira.
In the meantime, Rountree Jr. can be seeking to rebound from a knockout loss at UFC 307 final October, the place he challenged “Poatan” for the sunshine heavyweight title. Previous to that bout, “The Conflict Horse” was using a five-fight profitable streak.
Hill and Rountree Jr. have been initially slated to sq. off at UFC 303 in June 2024, however the matchup was known as off after “The Conflict Horse” examined constructive for the banned anabolic steroid DHEA, leading to a 4.5-month suspension.
UFC Baku will see the long-awaited return of former RIZIN double champ Kyoji Horiguchi, practically 9 years after his final UFC look. “The Hurricane” is ready to face No. 10-ranked flyweight contender Tagir Ulanbekov.
The Azerbaijan occasion now options the next confirmed fights:
Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree: mild heavyweight
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Tagir Ulanbekov: flyweight
Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev: heavyweight
Ismail Naurdiev vs. JunYong Park: middleweight
Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman: heavyweight
Irina Alekseeva vs. Klaudia Sygula: ladies’s bantamweight
Daria Zhelezniakova vs. Melissa Mullins: ladies’s bantamweight
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