Khalil Rountree Jr. was scheduled to headline the upcoming UFC event in Kansas City, Missouri. However, his former champion opponent suffered an injury, leading to a change in the main event.
The fight between Rountree Jr. (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) and Jamahal Hill was supposed to take place at UFC on ESPN 66 at T-Mobile Center on April 26. Unfortunately, Hill’s undisclosed injury forced him to withdraw from the bout. As a result, Rountree Jr. is now without an opponent, and the new main event will feature a welterweight matchup between Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates.
Following the news, Rountree Jr. posted a video on his YouTube channel to address the situation. He expressed disappointment about the fight being postponed due to Hill’s injury and mentioned that he is unsure when the bout will be rescheduled.
This fight would have been Rountree Jr.’s first since his defeat in a title fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 307. Despite winning five consecutive fights to earn a title shot, Rountree Jr. fell short in his quest for the championship. He is eager to face Hill (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in the future to work towards another shot at the light heavyweight title currently held by Magomed Ankalaev.
While Rountree Jr. is disappointed by the news, he also empathizes with fans who may have already made travel plans to attend the event in Kansas City. He remains hopeful that the matchup against Hill will materialize at a later date.
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