Khalil Rountree Jr. was set to headline the UFC event in Kansas City, Missouri, but his former champion opponent suffered injuries.
The fight was scheduled to close the show at UFC on April 26th at T-Mobile Center’s ESPN 66, but now Rountree Jr. (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is left without an opponent as Jamahar Hill suffers a private injury. The new main event for the card is a welterweight showdown between Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates.
On Tuesday evening, Rountree Jr. released a video on his YouTube channel in response to the news.
“So I just got off the phone at the UFC and Jamahal Hill was injured and doesn’t seem to be able to compete in Kansas City on April 26th,” Lone Tree Jr. said. “So it looks like I’m out of the fight, and it’s going to be postponed. I don’t know when, but it seems like it’s been so far.
“I don’t know what the problem is. All I know is that the UFC said they have to withdraw because of an injury. Usually they don’t give too many details about what the injury is, but they say it’s an injury and they need more time to recover from this injury, so they postpone the fight.”
The fight was Lone Tree Junior’s first fight since it was stopped in an October title match against then-champion Alex Pereira at UFC 307. Rountree Jr. called out to win five consecutive fights and fight for the title.
Rountree Jr. hopes that his matchup with Hill (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will remain together and return to another shot in the light heavyweight title currently being held by Magomed Ankalaev. He admits that the news is a bit upsetting, but he also feels bad for fans who may already be arranging a trip to watch his fight in Kansas City.
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