"This is terrible for the sport" - Jamahal Hill baffled by Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree matchup at UFC 307
Jamahal Hill recently sounded off on the UFC matchmaking after it was confirmed that Alex Pereira will be defending his light heavyweight championship against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307. He raised questions regarding the decision, especially considering Rountree's No.8 ranking and previous bout falling through.
'The War Horse' was initially scheduled to fight 'Sweet Dreams' at UFC 303 this past June, however, he was forced to withdraw after consuming a banned substance and handed a two-month suspension. The fight was later scrapped as Hill was forced to withdraw due to an injury, but the promotion never attempted to reschedule the bout and instead offered Rountree a title shot.
The former light heavyweight champion took to his X account and put Rountree and UFC matchmakers on blast. Hill mentioned that he was shocked after seeing the announcement and questioned the integrity of the ranking system because Rountree was awarded a title shot against Pereira despite being ranked No.8. He wrote:
"Can't believe what I just saw announced! So a guy pulls out of a contender fight because of a failed drug test for a banned substance and gets rewarded with a title shot?! This is terrible for the sport and makes the rankings completely pointless!"
Check out Jamahal Hill's tweet below:
UFC welterweight shares different opinion than Jamahal Hill
UFC welterweight Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson shared a difference of opinion compared to Jamahal Hill as he expressed his excitement for Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree.
ESPN MMA tweeted a graphic featuring both fighters' response to the UFC 307 announcement, which showed 'Wonderboy' as being a lot more thrilled with the bout. Thompson highlighted Rountree's recent bouts ending via stoppage and believes that could be a recipe for a thrilling main event against Pereira. He wrote:
"I can dig it! Rountree on a 5 fight win streak, 4 by stoppage and I don't even need to say anything about Alex's abilities. The guy is a monster. He's also crazy active I feel like, no?"
Check out ESPN MMA's tweet showing Stephen Thompson's reaction compared to Jamahal Hill below: