Jamahal Hill is stunned by Khalil Rountree Jr.'s title fight against Alex Pereira

Jamahal Hill says the next light heavyweight title fight would be “terrible for the sport.”

UFC 307: BIG TITLE FIGHT FOR ALEX PEREIRA IS HEADLINES IN PAY-PER-VIEW IN SALT LAKE CITY

On Friday, UFC CEO Dana White announced that champion Alex Pereira would defend his title for the third time this year against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of UFC 307 on October 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The title fight was an unexpected but welcome surprise for No. 8-ranked challenger Rountree, who is coming off a TKO victory over Anthony Smith last year.

Not everyone is happy with the timing of this title fight, including Jamahal Hill, as the former champion was scheduled to face Rountree Jr. at UFC 303. However, the fight never took place as Rountree was suspended for two months by the Combat Sports Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive for a banned substance, claiming that he unknowingly found a substance in his supplements.

After his suspension was lifted in July, Rountree is now getting the dream fight he demanded: a slugfest with Pereira – much to the chagrin of Hill, who is seeking revenge on his former opponent Pereira after being stopped in the first round of their fight at UFC 300.

“I can't believe what I just announced!!!” Hill reacted to Rountree's title fight on 'X“So a guy withdraws from a contest because he failed a drug test for banned substances and gets rewarded with a title shot?!! That's terrible for the sport and makes the rankings completely pointless!!!”

Speaking of rankings, many thought No. 2-ranked Magomed Ankalaev would be Pereira's next candidate after he defended his title for the second time against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. After all, Ankalaev is undefeated in his last 12 fights. However, the Russian would have to face another top contender later in October at UFC 308: Aleksandar Rakic.

Nikita Krylov and Volkan Oezdemir also have wins and are ranked higher than Rountree, but it's hard to argue that there's a more entertaining fight for Pereira in the division than against veteran striker Roundtree – a Muay Thai fighter with knockout power behind him. “The War Horse” is currently on a five-fight winning streak.

Daniel Cormier: UFC protects “Golden Goose” Alex Pereira from Magomed Ankalaev

Whether Jamahal Hill thought the title shot was justified or not, Khalil Rountree Jr. will look to make the most of his golden opportunity against knockout artist Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

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