BAKU: UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation, will make its debut in Azerbaijan with a main event featuring former UFC light heavyweight champion and No. 4-ranked contender Jamahal Hill against No. 7-ranked Khalil Rountree Jr.

In partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Baku City Circuit Operations Company, the UFC event will be on Saturday, June 21 at the Baku Crystal Hall.

The partnership was announced at a signing ceremony with Dana White, the UFC president and CEO, and Azerbaijan Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov in Miami before UFC 314 last Saturday.

“Azerbaijan and the city of Baku have an incredible history of hosting massive global sporting events,” White said. “We have so many great athletes from in and around this country that it was a natural next destination for us. I’m excited to have our debut event there on June 21.”

Gayibov emphasized the significance of the event in advancing Azerbaijan’s role in the international sports community.

“Hosting UFC in Baku marks another significant milestone in our efforts to develop Azerbaijan as a regional sports leader,” he said. “Thanks to President Ilham Aliyev’s unwavering support and attention, along with his successful sports policy, Azerbaijan has gained international recognition in the world of sports — and the city of Baku has established itself as a key hub for major global sporting events.

“This partnership with UFC further strengthens our reputation as a global sports hub, showcasing our commitment to sports development and international cooperation.”

Former champion Hill (12-3 1NC, from Michigan, US) aims to make a quick return to the Octagon for his second bout of 2025. The first Dana White’s Contender Series alum to become an undisputed UFC champion, his route to the title included wins over Thiago Santos, Johnny Walker and Jimmy Crute. Hill now plans to make a statement against Rountree Jr. and turn his attention to the championship picture.

Rountree Jr. (14-6 1NC) competes for the first time since his valiant Fight of the Night effort against Alex Pereira at UFC 307 in October. A devastating striker with 9 of his 13 wins coming by way of KO, Rountree Jr. has entertained fans with victories over Chris Daukaus, Karl Roberson and Modestas Bukauskas. He now looks to take Hill’s spot in the top five with another signature performance. 

Also featuring on a stacked card will be the return of Kyoji Horiguchi (34-5) as he aims to become the first Japanese UFC champion. Standing in his way will be No.10-ranked Russian flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov (16-2) who is training under former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and also has his eyes on the top of the flyweight division.

Expect fireworks as heavyweights collide with No.5 ranked Curtis Blaydes (18-5) taking on Dana White’s Contender Series standout Rizvan Kuniev (13-2-1) who will be looking to make a statement in his Octagon debut.

Additional bouts on the card include:

Middleweight: Ismail Naurdiev, Austria/Morocco (24-7) vs. Junyong Park, South Korea (18-6).

Heavyweight: Hamdy Abdelwahab, Egypt (6-0) vs. Mohammed Usman, Nigeria/US (10-4).   

Bantamweight: Irina Alekseeva, Russia (5-2) vs. Klaudia Sygula, Poland (6-2).

Bantamweight: Daria Zhelezniakova, Russia (9-2) vs. Melissa Mullins, England (7-1).

LOS ANGELES: James Harden scored 39 points as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 124-119 in overtime to clinch the final playoff spot in a thrilling last day of the NBA regular season on Sunday.

Harden’s superb display in San Francisco helped the Clippers bag the fifth seed in the Western Conference and sets up a first-round postseason series with the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets.

The 35-year-old Harden’s points tally included two crucial back-to-back three-pointers in overtime which ultimately proved decisive in a back-and-forth duel that saw the lead change hands 23 times.

The defeat for Golden State means the Warriors must now secure their place in the playoffs via the four-team play-in tournament starting this week, hosting Memphis on Tuesday.

Harden, meanwhile, praised the Clippers’ composure in closing out victory in front of the Warriors’ vociferous home support.

“We knew it was gonna be a hostile environment, and the main goal was just to win the game,” Harden told ESPN. “Whether it’s scoring, whether it’s playmaking...it’s whatever it takes at this point.”

The win was the Clippers’ eighth straight victory to close out the regular season, ensuring they will enter the playoffs as the form team in the Western Conference after a campaign where few gave them much hope.

“We know we’re a good team and we’re excited to show the world that we’re a good team,” Harden said.

Harden was backed with 33 points from Kawhi Leonard while Ivica Zubac added 22.

Stephen Curry led Golden State’s scoring with 36 points while Jimmy Butler added 30 points.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr praised the Clippers performance after a gripping contest.

“That was a big-time basketball game — they’re one of the best teams in the NBA, and so are we,” Kerr said. “It was a great, great game — high-level stuff, stars being stars. We came up short but not for lack of effort.

“There was a lot of great execution, and lot of stuff that was very impressive. But we couldn’t quite pull it off.”

In other games on Sunday, Denver clinched the fourth seed in the West with a 126-111 victory over the second-seeded Houston Rockets.

The win capped a tumultuous week for the Nuggets, who fired head coach Michael Malone on Tuesday with the playoffs beckoning in a move that stunned the NBA.

Denver were always in control of Sunday’s clash, leading by as many as 36 points in the fourth quarter after taking the lead midway through the first period.

Denver’s interim coach David Adelman reserved praise for Serbian star Nikola Jokic, who finished a regular season campaign in which he averaged a triple double with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

“I’ve been around special players, I’ve never seen any player like him,” Adelman said.

“The work he puts in away from it. Just how systematic he is, professional, no wasted steps. He is absolutely the most impressive basketball player I’ve ever seen.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves meanwhile snaffled sixth place in the West — the final automatic playoff berth — with a 116-105 defeat of the Utah Jazz.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch paid tribute to his team’s effort in muscling their way into the playoffs.

“I’m super proud of their body of work this year,” Finch said. “We didn’t make a big trade in the middle of the season to sort thing out, or fire coaches to try to sort things out — they sorted it out themselves. Those guys made the right adjustments and sacrifices and figured who they needed to be as a team. All credit to them.”

The win means the Timberwolves will face the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.