In the latest case of mistaken identify, former undisputed light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill claims current strawweight gold holder, Zhang Weili mistook him for incoming UFC 307 title challenger, Khalil Rountree during the Contender Series last week.
Weili, the current undisputed strawweight champion, has been sidelined since she turned in a dominant unanimous judging win over compatriot, Yan Xiaonan on the main card of UFC 300 earlier this month, in the first all-Chinese championship fight in the history of the promotion.
Himself also sidelined since that event, former light heavyweight gold holder, Hill has yet to return since his first round stoppage loss to arch-rival, Alex Pereira, dropping his crown in devastating fashion in the monumental event’s headliner.
Zhang Weili confuses Jamahal Hill for Khalil Rountree ahead of UFC 307
And while surging challenger and dangerous striker, Rountree is putting the finishing touches on his training camp ahead of next weekend’s title charge against former two-division champion, Periera at UFC 307, Hill was mistaken for the Ultimate Fighter finalist by a current UFC superstar.
“So (Zhang) Weili, at the Contender Series last week, you were there you saw it,” Jamahal Hill said on Aljamain Sterling’s YouTube channel. “Weili comes up, ‘Next month, let’s go.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ She’s like, ‘Oh, you fight title?’. I was like, oh she thinks I’m Khalil (Rountree). She thought I was Khalil.”
“I’m like my man’s has no hair, he’s got facial hair, you know what I’m saying?” Jamahal Hill explained. “He’s a lot shorter than I am. I don’t know, that was funny though. But you know she’s sweet, bro. She don’t mean anything by it. So, it was all good.”
Himself ruled from a UFC 303 return at the end of June, Hill was actually scheduled to take on Rountree, until the latter was replaced by surging knockout artist, Carlos Ulberg — before former champion, Hill was forced from the main card matchup amid another injury setback.