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The UFC visited Baku, Azerbaijan for the first time last night. While the event was flying under the radar somewhat, it was still largely fun to watch.
UFC Fight Night: Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr featured some solid fights, and a couple of very strong finishes, too.
While the event will always be remembered for taking place on the weekend of Jon Jones' retirement - for now - it did produce some talking points.
Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
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#5. Nazim Sadykhov and Nikolas Motta more than earned their double bonus award
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Last night's UFC event was slightly odd in that when it came to bonus awards, just two fighters found themselves going home with extra money.
Remarkably, though, not only did Nazim Sadykhov and Nikolas Motta earn an extra $50k each for the Fight of the Night, they also both earned another $50k in performance bonuses.
So did both men really do enough to earn an extra $100k each? Absolutely.
Their lightweight tilt was an absolutely crazy fight and stands as one of the best of 2025 thus far, with a combined total of 159 significant strikes landing in just two rounds.
A wildly fast start from Motta looked to have Sadykhov in real trouble in the first round, and at one point, it looked like he was on the verge of stopping the native Azerbaijani.
However, 'The Black Wolf' managed to survive, and once Motta tired, he took over. In the second round, Sadykhov split the Brazilian open with an elbow, and eventually dismantled him with a salvo of strikes for a TKO stoppage.
The beginning to this fight suggests Sadykhov isn't quite ready for the UFC's elite lightweights, despite his octagon record now standing at 4-0-1. However, his performance means he's a must-see attraction next time out, too.
#4. Myktybek Orolbai is for real, but needs to fix his weight issue
One of the most impressive showings last night came from lightweight Myktybek Orolbai. The native of Kyrgysztan took his UFC record to an impressive 3-1 by submitting Tofiq Musayev.
This was no regular submission, either. Orolbai took his foe down, gained a dominant position, and cranked on a kimura so hard that Musayev screamed in pain before tapping.
Unfortunately, while it seems like Orolbai is the real deal in the octagon, he'll clearly need to sort out his weight issues before he can really move forward.
Last night's bout was switched to a 165-pound catchweight one when Orolbai was unable to hit the 155-pound lightweight limit.
Worryingly, this was the second time Orolbai had missed weight, as his last fight - with Mateusz Rebecki in October - was also switched to a catchweight when he failed to hit the mark.
Essentially, it sounds like the native of Kyrgyzstan has a choice to make - he can either change his approach and ensure he can hit 155 pounds, or move up to 170 pounds instead.
Either way would be a fair decision, but put simply, no matter how talented he is, he can't go on like this.
#3. Curtis Blaydes was lucky to escape with a win over newcomer Rizvan Kuniev
The lone heavyweight fight on last night's main card pit former interim title challenger Curtis Blaydes against UFC newcomer Rizvan Kuniev.
Given Kuniev had never fought anyone on Blaydes' level before - let alone beaten them - few fans were giving the Dagestani a chance of winning.
However, in the end, while 'Razor' did come away with a win, it was a close call. The veteran only claimed a split decision in a fight that could honestly have gone either way.
Blaydes attempted 15 takedowns throughout the bout, but only landed two of them, a poor return for his usual standards.
On the feet, meanwhile, it looked like Kuniev was getting the better of things, and he appeared to have Blaydes stunned on a handful of occasions.
Despite this, 'Razor' did just enough in the clinch and from close range to outland his foe, earning a razor-close win.
Post-fight saw Blaydes blame his poor performance on a knee injury. Whether that's the case remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain - if he wants to get back into UFC title contention he'll need to perform better than this.
#2. Rafael Fiziev looked back to his best
One fighter who definitely did look back to his best last night was Rafael Fiziev.
The No.11-ranked lightweight hadn't won a fight since July 2022 and was riding a three-fight losing streak coming into his clash with Ignacio Bahamondes.
Had he lost, his UFC career could well have been in serious danger. Thankfully, though, he produced one of his best showings to claim a clear-cut win.
'Ataman' landed his trademark punching combinations, regularly digging to Bahamondes' body, and he also mixed in some powerful takedowns for good measure.
When he took a dominant position on the ground and really punished 'La Jaula', it was clear which way the fight was going to go, and sure enough, Fiziev claimed a clear-cut decision.
Given this showing, it's likely that we can expect Fiziev to be matched with another elite-level opponent next time out, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him go on another winning run now.
#1. Khalil Rountree Jr proved his worth - but Jamahal Hill might be one of the UFC's most fortunate fighters
Last night's headliner saw Khalil Rountree Jr prove his worth, big time.
'The War Horse' came into his fight with Jamahal Hill off the back of a nasty loss to Alex Pereira in an unsuccessful UFC title challenge, and given his patchy record beforehand, it was hard to guess how he'd perform.
Rountree Jr looked fantastic, though, beating Hill up over five rounds for a clear-cut decision. He chopped at Hill's legs with some nasty low kicks, landed plenty of clean combinations, and dropped 'Sweet Dreams' in the third round.
Following this showing, it's likely that Rountree Jr will move right back into title contention. The same, however, cannot be said for Hill.
He's now lost three fights in a row, and last night, he was basically outclassed in the area that's supposedly his strongest.
More than ever now, it feels like 'Sweet Dreams' was simply fortunate to be in the right place at the right time when he won the UFC light-heavyweight title in 2023.
Essentially, he earned his shot by beating a patchy Johnny Walker and an ageing Thiago Santos, and then beat Glover Teixeira - who was 43 years old and miles past his prime - to claim the gold.
Whether Hill can get back on track, then, is debatable. At 34, he's not a young lion as such any more, and when last night's fight ended, he looked largely broken. To say he needs a win next time out would be an understatement.
