Hill: Rountree getting title shot vs. Pereira 'terrible for the sport'

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill is not a fan of the newly announced title fight between current champ Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr.

Pereira is scheduled to defend his title for the third time against the No. 8-ranked Rountree in the main event of UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.

In May, Rountree was suspended two months by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) after unintentionally taking dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is prohibited at all times under the UFC anti-doping policy. Rountree was forced out of a matchup against Hill at UFC 303 in June due to the suspension and hasn't stepped into the Octagon since.

"Can't believe what I just saw announced," Hill wrote Friday on X. "So a guy pulls out of a contender fight because of failed drug test for a banned substance and gets rewarded with a title shot?! This is terrible for the sport and makes the rankings completely pointless."

Rountree has climbed into contention in the 205-pound division over the past two years. The 34-year-old Los Angeles native has won five in a row and is coming off a knockout victory over former title challenger Anthony Smith last December.

Hill, meanwhile, suffered a knockout loss in a title fight with Pereira at UFC 300 in April.