Ultimate Fighting Championship is building its International Fight Week card one big brick at a time.
organization announced
On Friday, UFC 303 adds a big light heavyweight clash. Former champion Jamahal Hill (12-2, 1 NC State) will look to get back in the win column against in-form Khalil Rountree (13-5, 1 NC State). The latter is riding a career-long winning streak. The two are scheduled to meet on June 29th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and will likely sit on the main card.
Hill fought for his old belt against Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 headliner, but was defeated by a first-round knockout. The loss ended his winning streak at four fights, which culminated with him winning the vacant 205-pound title against Glover Teixeira in a one-sided, five-round fight. Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus defeated Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker, and Thiago Santos all with strikes along the way.
Rountree, a Season 23 finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter,” has won five straight fights, his longest since turning pro in 2014. Rountree struggled to gain momentum in his early days in the UFC, racking up some impressive knockout wins, but his momentum was slowed by the artificially enhanced Michal Olekszechuk. And he’s a powerful walker. After a demoralizing decision loss to Marcin Prachnio in 2021, Rountree has recorded four finishes in his past five fights, including beatdowns of Anthony Smith and Chris Daukaus, at 205 pounds. He admitted to himself that he was the winning candidate.
UFC 303 will take place on June 29th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be headlined by the highly anticipated welterweight showdown between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. Also scheduled are strawweight pairings between Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Gillian Robertson, and a featherweight brawl between Cub Swanson and Andre Fili.
