At this point, thinking that all of Dana White‘s plans, when it comes to the UFC, would always go smoothly would be wrong, given that almost every event encounters one issue or the other. 2025 marks the year when the Las Vegas-based promotion will make its way for the maiden event in Azerbaijan with UFC Baku. However, it appears that one of the fighters faced some obstructions on his way to the transcontinental nation.

UFC Baku is an important event for the Azerbaijan UFC fanbase. After all, TKO’s Mark Shapiro revealed to have received millions in site fees from the country’s officials to bring a Fight Night event to their soil. The fight card features some interesting matchups with two heavy-hitters, Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr., headlining the first UFC event in Azerbaijan. However, Dana White was at risk of losing the main event with just days to go before the fight.

It appears that Jamahal Hill and his team encountered a problem on their way to Azerbaijan. As per an Instagram story from his manager, Brian Butler-Au, the former champion and Co. were in the airport when their flight was scheduled to leave in over a couple of hours. However, the current conflict between the nations of Israel and Iran was delayed by another couple of hours because the plane needed to go through another route.

“Was told that we have to avoid Iran air space so the 2.5hr flight is now 5hrs as we have to fly around… No wifi on this fight. See you in 5,” Jamahal Hill’s manager wrote on social media, a screenshot of which MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin shared on social media.

Fortunately, there’s nothing to be worried about since Jamahal Hill and his team are safe. Moreover, Dana White doesn’t have to worry either because they successfully landed in Baku and are now preparing to put on a show at the Baku Crystal Hall. Moreover, Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. already had their first face-off in Azerbaijan’s capital.

Well, Dana White had just escaped from another fight falling through because, a month ago, there was another plan the UFC CEO had that could not come to fruition. If you’re wondering what that plan was, well, it was the return of a former title contender. Let’s take a look at that front.

Ex-title contender’s return at UFC Baku fell flat on Dana White’s face

Baku may not be the most fight-centric city, but Dana White wanted to make the first event in Azerbaijan a memorable one. For that, he set up the return of a former UFFC flyweight title contender, who has only lost to Demetrious Johnson in his UFC career, Kyoji Horiguchi. It’s been almost a decade since the Japanese star set foot inside the Octagon as he bid farewell to the Las Vegas-based promotion back in 2016.

After his UFC departure, Kyoji Horiguchi would compete under the Bellator and Rizin FF banners before deciding to sign up once again with the UFC. Dana White set him up for a matchup against Team Khabib’s Tagir Ulanbekov, who’s ranked #12 in the flyweight rankings, but fans were hoping to see him fight a top-five contender. However, Horiguchi had to withdraw due to undisclosed reasons, as Ulanbekov found a replacement opponent in Azat Maksum.

Despite the setbacks, the UFC Baku card looks strong. The event features 12 fights, including the prelims and the main card, where a former champion and two former title contenders will compete as well. Furthermore, the Azerbaijan fanbase will also look forward to three of their fighters having their matchups, which also includes Rafael Fiziev. Well, what do you make of the Fight Night event? Drop your comments below.