Tag: Khalil Rountree

Khalil Rountree: Ex-UFC champ Sean Strickland apologized for being a ‘dumbass’ when he started beef

It appears the beef between Khalil Rountree and Sean Strickland is over – at least on Rountree’s side.

SALT LAKE CITY – It appears the beef between [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is over – at least from Rountree’s side.

Rountree (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) challenges light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) headliner at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Strickland is in Salt Lake City to help Pereira prep for Rountree, whom he’s never been fond of. His issue with him started in 2022 when he went off on Rountree for crying during one of his post-fight scrums. Rountree downplayed his comments, claiming he didn’t know who Strickland was.

Rountree says Strickland approached him a couple of months ago to apologize, but that didn’t stop the former UFC middleweight champion from recently going off on Rountree again, calling him a “liberal c*ck beta male,” as well as accusing him of being in a cult.

“Honestly, the last interaction that I had with Sean Strickland was at the UFC PI. It was literally the day after Dan Ige stepped in for that fight on like three hours, four hours’ notice, or something like that,” Rountree told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 307 media day. “Out of the blue, Sean Strickland came up to me. He approached me, and he just said, like, ‘Khalil, I apologize. I’m a dumbass. I actually kind of like you. I think you’re liberal, but overall, I like you’ or ‘I respect you,’ something along those lines.

“So what I took it as is, almost like squashing whatever beef, or just saying, like, ‘Look dude, I am who I am. I’m going to say what I’m going to say, but I’m coming here to personally shake your hand, tell you I think you’re a liberal to a certain level, I respect you.’ It was like that. So I took it as like, OK, you’re coming here to kind of make the peace. I left it at that. So now, anything moving forward, anything that’s said, I’ve got that in my memory bank, so I know that there’s really no issue. It’s really just talk, and I won’t concern myself with it.”

Strickland is expected to get his desired title-fight rematch with UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, who edged him out by split decision in their first fight in January,

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Video replay: ‘UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree’ pre-fight press conference

The entire UFC 307 main card, including Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree, will attend Thursday’s pre-fight press conference in Utah.

The UFC 307 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and you can watch a live stream of the event in the video above. The press conference takes place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, which also hosts Saturday’s fight card, which airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

UFC 307 is built around two title-fights. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) puts light heavyweight gold on the line vs. [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the main event. And in the co-headliner, women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC) clashes with [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

Here’s what you need to know about the UFC 307 press conference.

What time does the UFC 307 press conference start?

The UFC 307 press conference starts at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT, which is 5:00 p.m. local time in Salt Lake City.

Who’s taking part in the UFC 307 press conference?

The 10 fighters scheduled for the main card bouts are slated to participate in the UFC 307 press conference: Pereira, Rountree, Pennington, Peña, Jose Aldo, Mario Bautista, Ketlen Vieira, Kayla Harrison, Roman Dolidze and Kevin Holland.

It’s unclear if UFC CEO Dana White will oversee the UFC 307 pre-fight press conference.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Carla Esparza brings the family for one last ride into the sunset

In Episode 4 of “Embedded,” Carla Esparza brings her husband, son and coach to a pumpkin patch to unwind during her retirement fight week.

The UFC is back on Mountain Time for UFC 307, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) defends her title for the first time when she meets ex-champ [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC). In addition, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) as a huge favorite.

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champ Raquel Pennington and her family arrive in Salt Lake City for fight week; Carla Esparza visits a pumpkin patch; Jose Aldo flies in from Brazil; UFC 307 athletes begin fight week check ins; Champ Alex Pereira trains at The Pit SLC; Julianna Peña gets in a pads and grappling session; Khalil Rountree Jr. and coach John Wood focus on striking.

Previous UFC 307 ‘Embedded’ episodes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Rashad Evans sees Khalil Rountree’s ‘recipe for an upset’ vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 307

Rashad Evans thinks Alex Pereira is “rubbernecking” ahead of UFC 307, and it’s going to cost him the belt vs. Khalil Rountree.

[autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] is forecasting a light heavyweight title change in the UFC 307 main event.

UFC Hall of Famer for former 205-pound champion Evans thinks [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] is a live underdog going into his clash with reigning titleholder [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], which takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

The vibe coming from Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and his team is that he’s going to play right into Pereira’s (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) desire position by standing and striking. For Evans’ vision of a win to come to life, he said that can’t be entirely the case.

“I think it plays out on the feet,” Evans told “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn. “For sure it’s going to be like that on Alex’s end, but I feel like because Alex brings the challenge that he does bring and Khalil’s been working on his standup in Thailand and he really prides himself with his standup, I feel like he’s going to test it. And it may be to his own detriment, but I feel like that’s where he wants to go with it. That’s the hill he’s going to die on. So he’s going to stand and strike. But what I feel what would probably better for him is a mix of the two. Being able to strike and then at the same time utilize your clinch and utilize the grappling positions. Not only does it zap some of that strength and some of that explosiveness and some of that power out of Pereira, but it also frustrates him.

“It’s about fighting smart. When you fight smart and don’t fight with an ego, you can choose the most effective game plan for your opponent. And I feel like if Khalil is going to win this fight, I would definitely tell Alex that it’s a striking-only event. But I’m definitely going to wrestle.”

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Pereira enters UFC 307 at the height of his powers. He has been a wrecking ball inside the octagon, winning three championship bouts since November and now attempting to make all kinds of UFC history. Many were surprised when the No. 8 fighter in the official UFC rankings Rountree was selected as his opponent, and because of that expectations are low.

Evans thinks that’s perfect scenario for the soft-spoken Rountree, especially because he’s displayed the best version of himself in recent fights.

“Khalil is slipping under the radar and Khalil is sneaky good,” Evans said. “People are like, ‘How is he sneaky good?’ It’s because I see that he’s good, but as you can see there are some holes. There are some holes can be exploited. We’ve seen holes because in his game when he’s lost. So you still feel like those holes are there. But I feel like the Khalil that we knew that made those mistakes is a different Khalil than we’re seeing right now. I feel like the Khalil that we have right now is a much more confident Khalil. A fight who really knows his game and really has taken the time to perfect his style. There’s a difference from when you’re trying to put tools in your toolbox and trying to organize and what tools to use and what suit you best and what is the best time to use it. And I feel like Khalil is at that level right now.”

On top of the skill element, Evans is confident in Rountree’s chances of claiming gold at UFC 307 because of some variables that are hard to truly break down. Pereira has become one of the faces of the UFC in recent years, and with that comes a lot of outside obligations and potential distractions.

When everything is balled together in the perfect scenario, Evans said a wild result is brewing.

“I’m picking the upset,” Evans said. “I feel like when you start rubbernecking and start looking at all these other opportunities and when the money starts coming in easy. Who else knows what’s going on? There was a little situation outside the octagon for Alex outside the octagon a little while ago. Who knows what shook up out of that and what that is foretelling to? There’s a lot of things that can be said and a lot of things that can be assumed. But ultimately speaking, I feel like when a fighter starts to look beyond what’s already in front of him, I feel like it could be a recipe for an upset.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Alex Pereira didn’t expect to defend title at UFC 307 against Khalil Rountree: ‘He was far behind in the ranks’

Alex Pereira admits he didn’t see coming a title defense against Khalil Rountree at Saturday’s UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

SALT LAKE CITY – Like many, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] was caught off guard by [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]’s shot at the UFC light heavyweight belt.

“Poatan” is set to defend his belt this Saturday in the main event of UFC 307 at Delta Center (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) against Rountree (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) – who sits at No. 8 in the UFC official rankings. Many thought Magomed Ankalaev was getting the shot, and were surprised to see Rountree get the call, including Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

“No, I did not envision that,” Pereira said at Wednesday’s UFC 307 media day. “I think in his previous fight the mentioned my name, but he was far behind in the ranks, so it didn’t comet to mind, but you have to prepare for him.”

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Although Rountree isn’t in the top-five of the division, he is on a five-fight winning streak with four stoppage victories, which is why Pereira finds him to be a worthy opponent.

“He does deserve it,” Pereira said. “The same happened with me. He kind of jumped on the rankings, but is due to the work that he puts in. I put the work like that too, keep beating some guys and then the opportunity presents.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307: Khalil Rountree doesn’t feel underestimated by Alex Pereira: ‘Both of us on each side know what we’re up against’

Despite not being highly ranked, Khalil Rountree feels Alex Pereira is taking him seriously ahead of UFC 307.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] may have surprised the MMA world with his unexpected title shot. However, despite not being the clear next contender for many, he doesn’t feel like he’s being underestimated by [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Rountree (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) challenges Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the UFC light heavyweight title this Saturday in the main event of UFC 307. He currently sits at No. 13 on the UFC official rankings, jumping over several names many deemed more worthy of the opportunity.

Yet, Rountree feels Pereira is taking him seriously, as he should.

“I’d like to believe that he’s not going to come in overconfident,” Rountree told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 307 media day. “That’s what I’d like to believe. I’d like to believe that he’s coming in his very best. I know that momentum can be a great thing. I that momentum can allow us to have a certain type of confidence, which can be good, but I think the both of us on each side know what we’re up against.”

Pereira is regarded as one of the best strikers in MMA history, and he has a prestigious background in kickboxing. Rountree is confident he can stand with the former two-time Glory Kickboxing champion and assures the fans that his plan is to strike, not grapple.

“I want to set the record straight because there’s been a lot of talk around this takedown and this and that,” Rountree said. “The main thing that I was trying to say, my whole career, everyone has known me for pretty much my striking and my striking style. What I was trying to say is, don’t expect anything different just because it’s a title shot, and I’m going up against Alex, who’s also a striker.

“Don’t expect anything different. Expect me. Expect who you’ve always seen. Now, if something happens, and I get damaged, there’s no choice but to shoot for a takedown, OK, maybe that happens. But my gameplan hasn’t changed. I’m not a wrestler, so don’t expect me diving for legs for five rounds.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 ‘Embedded,’ No. 3: Julianna Peña pampers herself before fight week ramps up

In Episode 3 of “Embedded,” Julianna Peña makes sure she looks and feels good heading into UFC 307 fight week. She also gets a big surprise.

The UFC is back on Mountain Time for UFC 307, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) defends her title for the first time when she meets ex-champ [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC). In addition, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) as a huge favorite.

The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Khalil Rountree Jr. goes for a run and has a night time training session; Carla Esparza prepares for her retirement fight; Kayla Harrison has a striking session; Champ Alex Pereira shows off the views from his AirBnB; Julianna Peña arrives in Salt Lake City for fight week.

Previous UFC 307 ‘Embedded’ episodes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Daniel Cormier: UFC 307 fight vs. Khalil Rountree ‘feels like a trap game for Alex Pereira’

Daniel Cormier thinks Khalil Rountree could pull off a big upset at UFC 307 if Alex Pereira doesn’t take him seriously.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] could pull off a big upset if UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] doesn’t take him seriously.

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is a big favorite heading into his title defense against Rountree (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), which headlines Saturday’s UFC 307 event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

With the likes of Magomed Ankalaev at the top of the light heavyweight ladder, many questioned Rountree getting the title shot. Cormier said crazy things have happened during UFC events in Utah and warns Pereira not to underestimate Rountree.

“That’s a big fight, but to play the devil’s advocate, in Utah, we have now seen Kamaru Usman dominating Leon Edwards, get knocked out at the very end and Edwards becoming champ,” Cormier said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Ben Askren. “We’ve also seen Dustin Poirier, who had beaten Justin Gaethje, knocked out, and Justin Gaethje become the BMF champion. So, if there’s anything to be said about Salt Lake City, upsets happen,

“And it would seem that a guy who’s ranked No. (8) in the world taking on the champion is a blueprint for an upset, because in those moments, the champ may overlook him. I don’t know if Pereira will do that, but those are the times – they call them trap games in football. This feels like a trap game for Alex Pereira. And if he ain’t ready, it seems like Khalil Rountree with his power can knock him out.”

According to DraftKings, Pereira is a -500 favorite over Rountree, who’s a +380 underdog. Pereira has defended his light heavyweight title twice, scoring knockouts of Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 ‘Embedded,’ No. 2: Roman Dolidze devastates training partner with knee to body

On the second episode of UFC 307 “Embedded,” Roman Dolidze’s training partner pays the price.

The UFC is back on Mountain Time for UFC 307, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) defends her title for the first time when she meets ex-champ [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC). In addition, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) as a huge favorite.

The second episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Stephen Thompson plays disc golf; Khalil Rountree Jr. has dinner and trains with his team; Julianna Peña has a sparring session run by Champ Belala Muhammad; Kayla Harrison goes on a hike in the mountains; Roman Dolidze wraps up his camp; Champ Alex Pereira goes to Oktoberfest.

Previous UFC 307 ‘Embedded’ episodes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Kamaru Usman predicts Khalil Rountree ‘shocks the world’ at UFC 307: ‘Crazy things happen in Utah’

Kamaru Usman sees Khalil Rountree pulling off a huge upset against Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] sees [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] pulling off a huge upset at UFC 307.

Rountree challenges light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] in Saturday’s UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) headliner at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

With Rountree (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) vowing not to shoot any takedowns, many see him as a favorable matchup for Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC). But Usman has a gut feeling that Rountree will surprise everyone – especially since the fight is in Utah, where Usman lost his welterweight title in stunning fashion to Leon Edwards at UFC 278.

“I’m going to shock everybody here. I think you are wrong why you are saying that everyone stands and strikes with (Pereira) and they lose? I think Khalil Rountree shocks the world – shocks the world,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Crazy things happen in Utah, and look at our champions right now. Khalil Rountree is extremely explosive, extremely powerful, his muay Thai is incredible. When he’s launching them, he’s going to find your face. The problem is his pace.

“When Khalil lets go, he lets everything go. And how is he going to do in Rounds 3, 4 and 5 if the fight somehow gets there? That’s my only concern. But in those first two rounds, I’m telling you right now that Khalil Rountree is as dangerous as anyone Alex Pereira has fought. I’m telling you right now. With his story, with everything that he’s been through, man, what a way to cap that off by letting the world and future generations know that you can start here, completely change your life, and end here.”

According to DraftKings, Rountree is a +390 underdog against Pereira, who’s a big -520 favorite.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.