Latest news with #RountreeJr.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Khalil Rountree Jr. lists necessary changes made after Alex Pereira UFC title fight loss
Khalil Rountree Jr. lists necessary changes made after Alex Pereira UFC title fight loss Khalil Rountree Jr. knew changes were necessary in order to capture the UFC light heavyweight title. Rountree Jr. (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) got his first opportunity to reach that goal at UFC 307, but was outmatched by then-champion Alex Pereira. In the main event of the UFC's first trip to Azerbaijan, Rountree Jr. will have the chance to return to the win column by taking on former champion Jamahal Hill. As the saying goes, you either win or you learn, and Rountree Jr. appears to have taken many lessons from the fight against Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC). As he prepares for Hill (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), Rountree Jr. reveals he made multiple changes to his fight camp. "I think one of the most important things after the Alex fight, for me, was to continue to progress," Rountree Jr. said in a video on his YouTube channel. "So, after even talking to my wife and breaking down the video, thinking what could I have done better? Even though I put in a really good camp and I did my best in that camp, but I always try to think there's always room for improvement, no matter what. "And so, a few of the things, I felt like I could have improved in my strength. I think I could have had an extra ear in my corner to let me know moments when my opponent was hurt that I could have capitalized on. And I think just a little bit more support. So, right after the fight, that's immediately what I went after." The Fight of the Night battle against Pereira didn't produce the title victory Rountree Jr. hoped for, but he took away many positives from the fight. He is aware that the pinnacle of the light heavyweight division is within reach, but in order to reach it, he couldn't take the same approach. Rountree Jr.'s striking carried him through a five-fight winning streak to earn his first title shot. On the path to a second, he knew that working on his ground game was an important step. "Another thing that I wanted to improve on was my grappling," Rountree Jr. said. "As I climb the ranks and get closer to becoming the champion, knowing that there's going to be guys coming after me to get the belt, I want to be a well rounded fighter – and I want to be the best version of myself that I can be, in all areas." For his grappling game, Rountree Jr. added training with coach Bernardo Tavolaro and rolling with BJJ world champion and ONE Championship heavyweight Marucs "Buchecha" Almeida. Rountree Jr. believes his crowning moment will come one day, and that path begins in Baku against Hill.
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Khalil Rountree Jr. reacts to Jamahal Hill injury, cancellation of UFC Kansas City main event
Khalil Rountree Jr. was set to headliner the upcoming UFC event in Kansas City, Mo., but his former champion opponent suffered an injury. The fight was set to close the show at UFC on ESPN 66 at T-Mobile Center on April 26, but now, Rountree Jr. (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is left without an opponent due to Jamahal Hill suffering an undisclosed injury. The new main event of the card will be a welterweight showdown between Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates. Tuesday evening, Rountree Jr. released a video on his YouTube channel reacting to the news. 'So, I just got off the phone with the UFC, and it appears that Jamahal Hill is injured, not able to fight in Kansas City on the 26th of April,' Rountree Jr. said. 'So, looks like I'm out of a fight, and it's going to be postponed. I don't know when, but it looks like that's the case so far. 'I have no idea what the issue is. All I know is that UFC told me that he had to pull out due to an injury. Usually they don't give too many details as to what the injury is or whatever, but they did tell me that it was an injury and that he needed more time to recover from this injury, which is why they're going to postpone the fight.' The fight was to be Rountree Jr.'s first fight since being stopped in a title fight against then-champion Alex Pereira at UFC 307 in October. Rountree Jr. won five straight fights to get the call to fight for the title, and although he took home part of the Fight of the Night bonus, he did not take home the title. Rountree Jr. hopes the matchup against Hill (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) stays together in order to get back to another shot at the light heavyweight title, which is now held by Magomed Ankalaev. He admits the news is a little upsetting, but he also feels bad for the fans who may have already made travel arrangements to watch his fight in Kansas City.
