In the main event of UFC Baku , Azerbaijan, Jamahal Hill faced Khalil Rountree and was dominated in a five-round duel. The former champion had no answers for the sharp Muay Thai of the 'War Horse' and had his right leg severely punished during the 25 minutes of combat. After the fight, 'Sweet Dreams' was not at all happy to see his rival with his arm raised and was even more bothered to learn that the scores were completely one-sided.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Hill stated that, in his view, he won the first and fifth rounds, and that even after reviewing the fight, he maintained that impression. The former champion criticized the judges' scoring, deeming it excessive and comparing it to his victory over Glover Teixeira , where, according to him, there was indeed clear dominance, but the difference in the scorecards was not as extreme as in this latest defeat.
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“For me, at that moment, I thought I won the first and fifth rounds. I watched the fight again and I still feel like I won the first and fifth rounds. I just think it was a pretty boring fight, and scoring it in such a one-sided way was kind of crazy. I know there are people who want to see me lose in the worst possible way, but if you think that was a five-round domination, on the level of what we've seen before, for example, the fight against Glover… If that was a five-round domination, then the fight against Glover should have been 40-50,” said Jamahal Hill.
Jamahal Hill acknowledged that he made a mistake by leaving the fight in the hands of the judges and admitted the need to assert himself more to avoid controversial decisions. Dissatisfied with the slow pace of the fight, the former champion expected a more aggressive stance from Khalil Rountree , which ultimately did not materialize. Despite this, he took responsibility for not being able to dictate the pace of the fight or conduct it as he had planned.
“But at the end of the day, you can’t leave it up to the judges. You have to go out there, assert yourself, and then you don’t have to worry about that kind of thing… The fight was more boring than I would have liked. I expected him to engage and come forward, so we could exchange and put on a better fight, a better show, but that’s what it was. It’s my responsibility to go in there and make the guys fight the way I want, and that didn’t happen this time,” Hill concluded.
Jamahal Hill faces negative streak and is experiencing the worst phase of his career
Signed by the UFC after standing out in the Contender Series, Jamahal Hill began his journey in the organization with a great impact. The American accumulated five wins, four by knockout, and only one loss in his first fights. His performance led him to a title fight against Glover Teixeira , in which he defeated the Brazilian by unanimous decision and won the light heavyweight title (up to 93kg).
However, months after winning the title, Hill had to relinquish the belt after suffering an Achilles tendon injury. Upon his return at UFC 300 , he attempted to regain the title but was brutally knocked out by Alex Poatan . Since then, his losing streak has intensified: Hill returned to the octagon on two more occasions, being knocked out by Jiri Prochazka and dominated by Khalil Rountree , accumulating three consecutive defeats.
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