“Why Was Bro Surprised?” Khalil Rountree Spoils With Striking Masterclass, Gets Zippy Reaction From Jamahal Hill in Baku

UFC on ABC 8 Live Results: Khalil Rountree outclasses with leg kicks and knockdowns in Baku, gets a reaction from Jamahal Hill.

“Why Was Bro Surprised?” Khalil Rountree Spoils With Striking Masterclass, Gets Zippy Reaction From Jamahal Hill in Baku

Khalil Rountree outpoints Jamahal Hill for scorecard striking sweep at UFC Baku (Source: X)

UFC on ABC 8 from Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan, could have been former UFC LHW Champ Jamahal Hill’s big comeback. However, recent title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. liked to play something called a spoil and took a tactful approach that got him a ‘W’ at UFC Baku.

The beginning frame of UFC Baku was entirely a kickboxing affair, with them spacing it out and seeing what gives. Jamahal Hill, former 205-pound king, wanted his strap back but failed to a vicious first-round TKO at last year’s milestone UFC 300 PPV offering. He then went up against Jiri Prochazka and, despite some good to-and-fro, flubbed to a frantic third-round TKO. So, ‘Sweet Dreams’ had some pent-up action and initiated the scrapper, feeling it out with his limited boxing and leg shots.

However, ‘War Horse’ came to this for the grind; to show he is championship caliber, which he did. After a few initial feelers, Khalil Rountree buckled him early in R1 with a hard leg kick and some body shots. After a careful R1, he fumbled the former champ with a big leg kick again, right as the play-by-play booth feat. Michael Bisping mentioned — Hill matched him in significant strikes and slicers below, but not all were that “significant” enough.

After low output to close it, Round 3 – Khalil Rountree – surprisingly (or not much, he was ready to hammerfist former LHW Anthony Smith to doom much the same), sat Hill with a quick combo and a shot. Before the end of the round, a right hook again downed Hill, who sported quite the wobbly lead leg. R4 picked up speed from Rountree, who kept chopping the leg some more.

After 25 minutes and a 5-round affair, the judges scored Rountree the winner in way of a UD – 49-46, 50-45, and 50-45. His UFC Baku headliner spot was by far one of his most accomplished and full performances after his striking mastery at UFC 307 PPV. However, two “50-45s” from the judges’ scorecard got a zesty and animated eye roll from Hill; fans are not here for it!

Fight fans react to salty Jamahal Hill after Loss to Khalil Rountree

Khalil Rountree is 1-for-1 after his all-time PPV title fight war with Alex Pereira that put him on the map forever. Up until that, UFC play-by-play had never seen Pereira get answered back in so many heavy-handed strikes after a one-of-one three-KO title campaign.

Fans react to Jamahal Hill UFC Baku loss and response
Fans react to Jamahal Hill UFC Baku loss and response (Source: X)

So, it’s a salt-of-the-earth, smacking-true factoid that the Team Syndicate MMA light heavyweight deserves his stripes and dues and might soon enter #top 5 after UFC Baku. However, it’s also true that Jamahal Hill processes his loss on a different trajectory and more of a “didn’t get unconscious,” “could have done it” glass half empty manner.

He did take a heavy umbrage that Poatan banked on a rare referee pause to punctuate his first-round TKO and went on a social media war for it for almost a year. While he did not go a similar route just yet with Khalil Rountree, his body language was much the same, saying it wasn’t as dominant as the world would have it.

Hill seemed shocked by the official decision. Sweet Dreams dropped every round in the judges’ purview, except for one round with one judge. Ben Cartlidge scored one in favor in R5 as 10-9; David Lethaby and Clemens Warner didn’t. Moreover, a 50-45 differential overall was too big for him to digest; fans had their say on it:

He ran the risk of not going full-force in orthodox with his leg getting chopped up. Post-fight, the frustration was fiery as Hill confronted Rountree, seemingly questioning his opponent’s lack of aggression for a finish. Rountree responded that Hill was difficult to read, who delivered with class but patient striking anyway.

But, fans took a mickey out of the fact that Jamahal Hill would have an animated response to such a masterclass defeat. A prime reaction on X (@DovySimuMMA) had this to say about his zestiness: “Why was bro surprised??? #UFCBaku”.

Rountree now shifts up north to 6-1 in his last seven and also carried momentum against the previous dominant champ, Pereira. While the No.7-ranked 205-pounder has had troubles with stale rankings before, he just set his ceiling, proving himself against a former champ. Come Monday, and an update in the Athletes’ Listings, it’s a whole new world for Rountree Jr.

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