UFC Baku: Hill vs. Rountree takes place on Saturday, June 21, at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin looks at the opening odds below.
UFC Baku Odds
Khalil Rountree Jr. -135
Jamahal Hill +115
Rafael Fiziev -205
Ignacio Bahamondes +175
Curtis Blaydes -265
Rizvan Kuniev +225
Junyong Park -350
Ismail Naurdiev +285
Mohammed Usman -155
Hamdy Abdelwahab +135
Melissa Mullins -250
Daria Zhelezniakova +210
Irina Alekseeva -200
Klaudia Sygula +170
Oban Elliott -350
Seok Hyun Ko +285
Tagir Ulanbekov -210
Azat Maksum +180
Muhammad Naimov -300
Bogdan Grad +250
Nazim Sadykhov -200
Nikolas Motta +170
Myktybek Orolbai -120
Tofiq Musayev +120
Here are my quick thoughts on the UFC Baku Opening Odds:
- In the main event of UFC Baku, we have light heavyweights Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. going at it. Both men are coming off knockout losses, with Hill having lost to Jiri Prochazka in his last fight and Rountree Jr. losing to Alex Pereira, so both men need to get back in the win column to remain in title contention at 205 lbs. Look for an excellent fight here, but one that could realistically go either way given how much knockout power both men have.
- In the co-main event, hometown hero Rafael Fiziev returns to his native land to take on rising star Ignacio Bahamondes. Fiziev has lost three straight fights, but two losses were to top contender Justin Gaethje, and the other defeat came via injury TKO to Mateusz Gamrot. Despite the losses, Fiziev remains an excellent fighter, and he should not be counted out of picking up wins against ranked opposition in the UFC. That includes Bahamondes, who recently jumped into the top 15 of the UFC lightweight division when he beat Jalin Turner. Bahamondes is the younger fighter on the rise, and he is very dangerous, but given that Fiziev is fighting in front of his hometown fans, look for him to put on a spectacular performance here.
