In the early hours of Sunday morning, the Baku crowd began streaming out of the arena immediately following the co-main event between Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes, creating a striking visual of empty seats before the night’s final showdown.
With local time hitting 2:00 AM, many spectators opted to call it a night rather than stay for the main event featuring Jamahal Hill versus Khalil Rountree Jr. The exodus highlighted the challenges of UFC’s global scheduling, which often requires international audiences to endure unusual hours to accommodate broadcast times for North American viewers.
The hometown crowd had primarily come to support Fiziev, who competed in his father’s native Azerbaijan during the UFC’s inaugural event in the country. Their loyalty was rewarded as Fiziev secured a decisive unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) over Bahamondes in a technically impressive performance.
Throughout the three-round battle, Fiziev showcased his counter-striking prowess and superior wrestling, repeatedly thwarting Bahamondes’ flashy spinning attacks and takedown attempts. The co-main event delivered plenty of action, with Fiziev dropping his opponent with a right hand at the second-round horn and securing timely takedowns whenever Bahamondes began building momentum.
The victory was particularly significant for Fiziev, who entered the bout on a three-fight losing streak against top contenders. By defeating the rising Bahamondes, who had built an impressive 6-2 UFC record prior to this matchup, Fiziev breathed new life into his own championship aspirations.
While organizers likely anticipated the late-night schedule might impact attendance for the main event, the mass departure still created a surreal atmosphere for the Hill-Rountree headliner. The scene was captured in video footage shared on social media with the caption: “🇦🇿 Baku crowd leaving the arena right after Fiziev vs. Bahamondes fight. It’s 02:00 AM in Baku. They decided not to wait for Hill vs. Rountree Jr.”
At UFC Baku, Khalil Rountree Jr. delivered a dominant performance against former champion Jamahal Hill, shutting him down over five rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory. From the outset, Rountree’s powerful leg kicks and superior striking controlled the pace, steadily wearing down Hill, whose mobility deteriorated as the action progressed. Despite Hill switching stances and landing a few clean shots, he never managed to shift momentum or threaten Rountree significantly. Rountree dropped Hill twice, brutalized his legs, and kept him off balance throughout, ultimately securing a lopsided win on the scorecards in a bout that left Hill visibly outmatched and compromised.
