Tag: Khalil Rountree

Jamahal Hill books quick turnaround for UFC 303, faces Khalil Rountree

Six days after UFC 300, Jamahal Hill is back on the books.

Six days after UFC 300, [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] has his next fight on the books.

Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will face [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) on June 29 at UFC 303, the promotion announced Friday. The event takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.

A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Hill, during his April 13 bout vs. Alex Pereira, looked to regain championship status he vacated. However, the current champion Pereira ended the attempt with a first-round knockout. The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak for Hill.

Rountree rides a five-fight winning streak into the showdown with Hill. Four of the five fights were finishes, including a third-round TKO of Anthony Smith in his most recent outing in December.

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The current UFC 303 lineup includes:

  • Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
  • Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Joe Pyfer

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Anthony Smith knew fighting Khalil Rountree on short notice was an ‘uphill battle’: ‘It was shocking how fast he is’

Anthony Smith was fully aware that facing Khalil Rountree on short notice wasn’t ideal.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] was fully aware that facing [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] on short notice wasn’t ideal.

Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) replaced Azamat Murzakanov on two weeks’ notice against Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 233 co-main event. He was stopped by TKO less than a minute into Round 3.

“Lionheart” took a risk fighting a dangerous, lower-ranked opponent on short notice, but he knew that going in.

“I knew I was in an uphill battle,” Smith said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “I knew the position I put myself in was not going to benefit me. I knew that I would kind of put myself behind the gun, and I was fine with that. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and I knew what I was up against. I had quite a bit of weight to cut. That was the bigger issue.”

Other than the weight cut, Smith explains that he had issues seeing the left hand in practice, which ended up being a problem for him in the fight.

“He was just way faster than I had anticipated,” Smith said. “I knew he was going to be fast. It was shocking how fast he is, how he goes from 0-100 so fast. I struggled with the speed in the fight, and I didn’t really have any other options.

“I wasn’t seeing the left hand. He was faster than I was, and he was faster than I prepared for. Some of that is I wasn’t in fight shape. I was seeing things, but my body just wasn’t reacting fast enough because I haven’t been in camp, and that’s no excuse. That’s my fault. I put myself in that position. I knew it was a possibility.”

Although Smith was on a two-fight winning streak prior to the loss, he admits self-doubt started creeping in after getting stopped by Rountree. However, the former title challenger has no intentions of walking away.

“I still want to fight,” Smith said. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s probably the worst loss I’ve ever taken. If I had more time, or I was in better shape, or I had a whole training camp, or a lot of things are different, I think the whole thing looks different. I don’t think I aged overnight. I think I put myself in a tough spot.”

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 12: Song Yadong, Khalil Rountree move upward

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 233 in Las Vegas.

The UFC’s penultimate event of 2023 in Las Vegas produced a few moves in this week’s rankings update.

UFC Fight Night 233 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and was headlined by a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] and Chris Gutierrez.

Song, who entered the week at No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, soundly defeated Gutierrez by unanimous decision. As a result, Song’s performance was strong enough to climb one spot in this week’s update, settling in at No. 8 behind former champion Petr Yan.

Also making waves at the event was light heavyweight [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] in a bout against short-notice opponent Anthony Smith. Rountree badly rocked and dropped the former title challenger in Round 3, leading to a walk-off TKO stoppage. Rountree entered the week at No. 12, but climbed up one spot for the easy swap with Smith, who held No. 11.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Khalil Rountree after UFC Fight Night 233 win?

Khalil Rountree missed with the callout of Alex Pereira after his TKO of Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 233, but he still has something big in store.

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] was the shining star on UFC’s penultimate event of 2023 on Saturday when he registered the biggest win of his career to date at UFC Fight Night 233.

Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) extended his winning streak to five fights in the light heavyweight division when he dropped and stopped former title challenger Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) for a third-round TKO finish at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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After the fight, Rountree called his shot in a big way by making a case to leap the rankings for a title shot against reigning 205-pound champ Alex Pereira. It’s unlikely that will come to fruition, but Rountree is most certainly on the way up, and has something big in store next.

What should that be, however? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Rountree’s next move after UFC Fight Night 233.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

4 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 233: The fallout of Khalil Rountree punishing Anthony Smith

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 233, including the fallout of Khalil Rountree battering Anthony Smith.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 233 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

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UFC Fight Night 233 post-event facts: Khalil Rountree inches closer to Chuck Liddell’s KO record

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 233, which saw Khalil Rountree move closer to Chuck Liddell’s longstanding knockout record.

There’s just one event left on the UFC’s 2023 schedule after UFC Fight Night 233 came to a conclusion on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

An underwhelming lineup fell in the shadow of UFC 296 this weekend, and the main event wasn’t particularly memorable as [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) proved to be too much for [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup en route to a unanimous decision win.

For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts about UFC Fight Night 233.

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UFC Fight Night 233 winner Khalil Rountree focuses on Alex Pereira as top-10 ranking looms

Never has Khalil Rountree been interested in callouts – until now that he has a signature win after UFC Fight Night 233.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] can’t think of a more exciting light heavyweight matchup than him vs. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], especially after victory Saturday at UFC Fight Night 233.

In the co-main event at the UFC Apex, Rountree (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) dispatched former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) with a big third-round knockout.

“High, high levels of joy, which is really cool,” Rountree told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I don’t remember the last time I felt that level of pure joy. It was nice. It was nice. It was overwhelming.”

Rountree, 33, has grown before the eyes of international MMA viewers since his time on “The Ultimate Fighter 23” in 2016. Over the span of the past seven-plus years, Rountree hasn’t been interested in callouts. But with a marquee win on his resume that will likely result in a top-10 ranking, Rountree is focused on the man with the gold title belt: Pereira.

It’s what the fans want by Rountree’s assessment.

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“I don’t think you guys have any record of me calling anybody out,” Rountree said. “But in my mind, knowing that if I beat Anthony Smith, that would get me into the top 10. I know that the way that the rankings work and I’m just 12. I know I have to be in the top 10 to even be worthy of fighting for a title. Say I get No. 10 and not No. 8 where Anthony was. From No. 9, in my opinion and I think in the fans’ opinion, the most exciting fight would be me vs. Pereira. That’s just what I’ve seen with comments, things like that. After the fight, I was flooded with people tagging me and things.

“I’m like, I think it makes sense for two dynamic strikers, powerful strikers. I don’t plan to shoot any takedowns. I don’t think I’ve shot a takedown ever in my career. I don’t think that he’s necessarily going to shoot for any takedowns because the guy is a warrior. So then you have two explosive, dynamic (fighters). Now, me being in the top 10, in my mind, it just makes sense. I’m putting in the work every day and I’m prepared for anything. I’m not saying, ‘This is what I want. Give it to me now.’ But, I think that it would make sense, and that’s kind of where I stand.”

Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) does not have a fight currently on the books, although he’s expected to face Jamahal Hill for his first title defense. He won the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 295 in November – his second victory in the weight class since he moved up from middleweight.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $22 million

UFC Fight Night 233 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 233 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $159,500

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 233 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 233 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]HyunSung Park[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shannon Ross[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Talita Alencar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rayanne Amanda[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2331 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,848,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,367,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 bonuses: Tim Elliott’s short-notice acceptance of Su Mudaerji bout pays off

It’s one thing to win a fight on five days’ notice. It’s another thing to earn an extra $50,000 like Tim Elliott did after UFC Fight Night 233.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one fighter who stepped up on extremely short notice.

After UFC Fight Night 233, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

UFC Fight Night 233 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC Fight Night 233 in Las Vegas with Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 233 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

In the main event, Song Yadong (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) took on Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in a bantamweight clash. In the light heavyweight co-feature, former title challenger Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) met Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC).

You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@1khathaway) on X.

Check out the full event play-by-play, results, and more below.