[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] expects a big fight after falling short in his valiant effort vs. Alex Pereira.
Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) was awarded the first two rounds of his light heavyweight title fight vs. champion Pereira in Saturday’s UFC 307 headliner before getting finished in Round 4. Rountree suffered a lot of damage in the fight, resulting in nose surgery, but his incredible heart won many fans over.
Prior to getting his title fight with Pereira, Rountree was booked to face former champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 303 in June but withdrew due to a failed drug test that was blamed on a tainted supplement. Rountree thinks rescheduling his fight against Hill makes sense.
“Absolutely, I think it’s almost inevitable,” Rountree told Kevin Iole of fighting Hill. “I think he’s ranked No. 3. Anyone up there in the top five is kind of inevitable. So, let’s see what happens. Pretty shortly here, I’ll be talking to the matchmakers and the bosses and see what they think.
“I’m here for it all, I’m not done. I’m going to continue, and I believe that I’ll have another chance at fighting for a belt. Whether it’s Alex or whoever else, if someone’s able to take it from him. I think that fight can definitely still happen.”
Rountree revealed that he signed a new contract with the UFC prior to facing Pereira and still has plenty of fights left in him. After undergoing septoplasty surgery for a “severely deviated septum,” Rountree hopes to return early next year.
“I’m very excited to come back and fight again, but it will probably be Q1 next year,” Rountree said. “I know that people got to see me fight, but this really showed me two things: It showed me that I’m prepared to fight at that level, but it also showed me that there’s a lot to learn and there’s a lot to grow. I want to come back and be very skillful and strategic and just make sure that I make the right decisions.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.