Ex-title challenger sheds light on surprise change to UFC Kansas City main event

One half of the originally-scheduled main event for UFC Kansas City has shed some light on why the light heavyweight fight fell through.

UFC CEO Dana White went live on Instagram on April 1 to drop several major fight announcements, chief among them being a rematch for the men’s bantamweight title between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley that will headline UFC 316 on June 7.

White also revealed that Julianna Peña will defend her women’s bantamweight belt against Kayla Harrison in the co-main event of UFC 316, and in a much more unexpected announcement a welterweight bout between Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates will replace Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. as the main event of UFC Kansas City.

Shavkat Rakhmonov (red gloves) reacts with Ian Machado Garry (blues gloves) after their fight at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Rountree Reacts To UFC Kansas City News

The major change to UFC Kansas City comes less than a month before the card goes down at the T-Mobile Center on April 26, and following White’s announcement Rountree took to his own Instagram account to share his reaction to the news.

“So, I just got off the phone with the UFC, and it appears that Jamahal Hill is injured and not able to fight in Kansas City. Getting the news that this would be postponed, I was very surprised…It’s a little upsetting, because in my mind we’re a little less than four weeks out. Getting my mind straight and ready for war, and then it’s kind of like someone poked a hole in the balloon.”

Ranked at #7 in the UFC light heavyweight division and coming off a loss to former titleholder Alex Pereira at UFC 307, a matchup with Hill would have given Rountree a chance to vault right back into title contention.

Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Khalil Rountree Jr. (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 307. — Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Khalil Rountree Jr. (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 307 at Delta Center. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“To any of the fans who bought tickets or made any flight arrangements, and anyone who was looking forward to watching this fight on April 26, I’m sorry. It’s a part of the fight game, but that’s still no excuse. I understand that it’s upsetting, so hopefully I’ll be back in there soon and entertain you guys the way I know how.”

No Update Yet From Former Champion Hill

There were rumors leading up to White’s announcement that Hill had sustained an injury that might keep him from fighting at UFC Kansas City, but as of yet the former light heavyweight champion hasn’t shared any official update on his status.

The headlining bout would arguably have been even more important for “Sweet Dreams” than for Rountree, as Hill came up short in a bid to regain the title against Pereira at UFC 300 before he was also stopped by Jiří Procházka at UFC 311 to put the 33-year-old on the first two-fight skid of his career.

Jamahal Hill (blue gloves) reacts after losing to Jiri Prochazka (not pictured) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Rountree’s claim that the fight has been “postponed” rather than cancelled seems to indicate that Hill’s injury may not keep him out of action for too long, but for now the welterweight division will take center stage at UFC Kansas City on April 26 when Machado Garry attempts to rebound from the first loss of his career against the surging Prates.

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