Khalil Rountree Jr. scored multiple knockdowns and chewed up Jamahal Hill’s leg with some nasty kicks as the one-time title challenger cruised to victory in the UFC Baku main event.

After clearly hurting Hill with a barrage of kicks that had him limping across the octagon, Rountree managed to put him down a couple of time with some stiff punches. Unfortunately, Rountree wasn’t able to put Hill away but he did far more damage as he just continued stacking up significant strikes before earning the decision win.

The judges ultimately scored the fight 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45 as Rountree gets back on track after falling to Alex Pereira this past October while Hill suffers his third loss in a row after becoming UFC light heavyweight champion.

“I told you from the beginning, I didn’t come in here underestimating Jamahal,” Rountree said after the win. “The plan was to be smart. I made some mistakes in the Alex fight. This one, I get to make different decisions. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do and if I’m winning the round, I can secure that and be a smart, professional championship level fighter. That’s how champions think, in my opinion.”

The light heavyweights were trading leg kicks early with Rountree connecting with more impact, although Hill was firing back with plenty of confidence. The back and forth kick battle continued with Rountree finally targeting the body while Hill was looking to use his boxing up top to the head.

As the second round started, Rountree clipped Hill with a couple of quick hooks and then he blasted that led leg again with thudding force behind the kick. Rountree then took Hill off his feet momentarily with another nasty kick as the damage really started to multiply.

With Hill limping forward, Rountree smelled blood in the water but he still showed patience not to overextend himself with a dangerous knockout puncher in front of him.

As he continued to chew up the legs with kicks, Rountree landed a lightning quick counter left hand that dropped Hill to the canvas in a flurry. Hill was quick to bounce up again but he was clearly knocked off balance from the combination of the damage done to his legs with the power Rountree showed in his hands.

Rountree continued to chip away at the former champion with another stiff left that opened a small cut near the eye and he followed that up with a brutal body kick. He then unloaded a huge right hook that took Hill off his feet again as the momentum continued to build for Rountree.

While he was clearly way ahead on the scorecards, Rountree wanted the finish but he was still being cautious not to make a mistake and allow Hill to come back.

With time ticking away to the final horn, Rountree was still connecting with the better strikes, although Hill was staying tough but just not producing enough offense. Rountree stayed in control of the exchanges until the final horn sounded as he secured a definitive win and put himself right back into the mix in the light heavyweight title race.

“I want to be a champion,” Rountree said. “Whatever’s next. There’s things that need to be done. Whatever gets me closer to fighting for the belt again.”

As for Hill, he’s now dropped three in a row — a precipitous fall from his dominant win over Glover Teixeira to become champion back in 2023. He’ll now recover and hope he can get back in the win column when he books his next fight in the UFC.