Tag: Khalil Rountree

UFC 307 ‘Embedded,’ No. 1: Alex Pereira makes it to the mountaintop, Khalil Rountree plays with Bigfoot

The UFC is back on Mountain Time for UFC 307, and the fighters – and Bigfoot – have started to descend on Salt Lake City.

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 first 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 Alex Pereira trains and goes on a hike with his team; Julianna Peña gets ready for fight week; Stephen Thompson practices his jiu jitsu; Roman Dolidze goes to the mountains; Khalil Rountree Jr. and his team have an encounter with bigfoot.

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

SBC REPLAY: Renato Moicano’s surge, UFC antitrust settlement, UFC 307 preview, more

On the latest episode of “Spinning back Clique,” we discuss Renato Moicano’s Paris win, UFC antitrust settlement, preview UFC 307, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Nolan King, Dan Tom, Brian “Goze” Garcia, and special guest John Nash will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC Fight Night 243 is in the books. The promotion’s trip to Paris, France saw lightweight contender [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] pick up a big win in the main event over [autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag]. Where does this win put Moicano in the division? How will his shoulder injury affect what’s next? What about Saint Denis? Where does he go from here after a devastating loss?
  • The UFC has reached a new settlement in its antitrust case. We welcome in guest John Nash, who has been following the case closely to discuss the latest developments. Is the $375 million settlement a surprise? Will the judge approve it? Is this better or worse for the fighters? Where does the case go from here? We discuss it all.
  • UFC 307 is here. UFC light heavyweight champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] faces [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] in the main event. In the co-feature, [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] puts her women’s bantamweight title on the line against [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag]. What are the chances we see one or two titles change hands? [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is also in action against [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]. Will a win get her the next title shot? What is the UFC doing with [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]? Does he have one more title run in him?

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Sean Strickland: Alex Pereira ‘is going to make easy work’ of Khalil Rountree at UFC 307

Sean Strickland predicts a dominant win for Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] predicts a dominant win for [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] at UFC 307.

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his light heavyweight title against [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in Saturday’s main event in Salt Lake City.

Strickland has spent the past couple of weeks training with former foe Pereira, who knocked him out in the first round of their middleweight matchup at UFC 276.

“We’ve had a lot of wars. The problem with Alex is that he hits really f*cking hard, you guys – really f*cking hard. But let me tell you why,” Strickland told The Schmo. “When you get raised in the jungles of Brazil where you don’t have running water and surviving off tapir and wildebeest as an infant, and then you get worked in a tire shop, that’s a hard man to fight. It’s hard, bro, and my daddy issues don’t make up for that level of hardness. So it was good work.”

Strickland thinks Rountree will be completely outmatched wherever the fight goes.

“I just can’t see Khalil pulling it off,” Strickland told Helen Yee. “I think I may have watched him fight Anthony Smith. I just can’t see it happening. I don’t think he has the tools in the toolbox to beat Alex. He’s not knocking him out. He’s not outstriking him. He’s not outwrestling him. I think Alex is going to make easy work of this fight.”

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

Video: UFC 307 ‘Countdown’ for Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree

Check out the UFC 307 “Countdown” preview offering a special look at the main event between Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree.

Did you miss the debut of UFC 307 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the light heavyweight title fight between champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC).

UFC 307 (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. “Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above.

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

Jamahal Hill: UFC champ Alex Pereira ‘definitely struggles’ against southpaws

Jamahal Hill expects Khalil Rountree’s striking stance to pose problems for Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] expects [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]’s striking stance to pose problems for UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his title against Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City. Hill was knocked out by Pereira in their title fight at UFC 300 but thinks Rountree being a southpaw will present a look that Pereira has struggled with in the past.

“The thing Khalil has going for him is he’s a southpaw,” Hill told Aljamain Sterling on his YouTube channel. “He has valuable threats from southpaw. If you look at his (Pereira’s) kickboxing career, southpaw is a stance that gives him trouble. Can he beat southpaws? Yes. But, I haven’t seen him really dominate a southpaw that has multiple threats from southpaw. You saw Jiri, but Jiri just went to southpaw. He was very flat-footed. He didn’t really have anything from it. …

“The most he’s seen from it was Bruno Silva. People wonder why 6-foot Bruno Silva gave him trouble. Because Bruno Silva has the ability to fight southpaw. The second fight against Izzy (Adesanya), go look, which way does Izzy stand? I pay attention to the details. If you have weapons from southpaw, he struggles. He definitely struggles.”

Hill has a vested interest in Pereira vs. Rountree and plans on being in attendance for the fight. “Sweet Dreams” was scheduled to face Rountree at UFC 303 in June, but Rountree withdrew after a failed drug test. Carlos Ulberg stepped in, but Hill wound up pulling out due to injury.

“I’m going to go,” Hill said. “It makes sense, and it affects what’s next for me and things like that. I’m going to go out there.”

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

John Wood: Alex Pereira ‘breaks game first and shoots on Khalil Rountree’ at UFC 307

John Wood thinks Alex Pereira will resort to wrestling Khalil Rountree at some point during UFC 307.

[autotag]John Wood[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] will resort to wrestling [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] at some point during UFC 307.

Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) challenges light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the Oct. 5 main event from Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Rountree vowed not to wrestle the former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion to find success. His head coach Wood doubled down on that promise, and went as far as saying it’ll be Pereira needing to change up his game plan.

“I believe, honestly, my gut, I think Pereira shoots on Khalil,” Wood told ESPN. “I think he’s the one that breaks game first and shoots on Khalil to try to get that takedown, because that’s actually something he’s done. I mean, we ain’t shooting over here, I can tell you that.

“Khalil can – it’s not like we don’t train MMA, wrestling, wrestling defense, all these things. … I think Alex shoots first, but yes, I would be shocked if this fight goes five rounds. Someone is going out on their shield. It’s going to happen, and obviously I think I know who it is.”

According to DraftKings, Rountree is a +350 underdog against Pereira, who’s a -455 favorite to retain his title. Pereira is coming off knockouts of Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka in the past six months. Rountree made it five straight wins when he knocked out former title challenger Anthony Smith in his most recent appearance in December 2023.

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

Alex Pereira takes aim at Khalil Rountree in new UFC 307 hype video

Alex Pereira continues to take aim at UFC history, and it seems like the rest of the MMA world is starting to get on board.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] continues to take aim at UFC history, and it seems like the rest of the MMA world is starting to get on board.

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) never has been as big of a favorite as he will be next month for a light heavyweight title defense against [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

In fact, despite his dominance since his arrival less than three years ago, “Poatan” has been an underdog as often as he’s been favored in UFC fights. Against Rountree, who was an unexpected choice to be the next 205-pound title challenger, he’s as much as a 5-1 favorite.

UFC 307 will be Pereira’s third pay-per-view headliner in 2024. He already has defended his belt with a first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 and a second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. A former middleweight champion, Pereira is looking to win his fourth light heavyweight title fight in a span of 11 months.

Check out the UFC’s new hype video for UFC 307 above. The spot also features the co-main event women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Raquel Pennington and former champ Julianna Peña.

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

Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 307 title fight

Unlike his previous title fights, Alex Pereira is a huge favorite heading into UFC 307.

Light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] will go for his third consecutive title defense when he meets [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] in the UFC 307 main event.

Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree preview

UFC 307 will mark the third time Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) headlines a pay-per-view in 2024 after already defending his belt with a first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 and a second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. A former middleweight champion, Pereira is looking to win his fourth light heavyweight title fights in a span of 11 months.

Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is an unexpected choice for title challenger given he’s officially just No. 8 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings and was recently suspended after self-reporting a positive drug test for a banned steroid, which canceled a fight with Hill. It was later determined that Rountree’s test result was caused by a tainted supplement.

A 34-year-old veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Rountree is on a five-fight winning streak with four stoppages, including a third-round finish of former title challenger Anthony Smith this past December. He has three post-fight bonuses in that stretch.

Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree odds

Unlike his previous title fights, Pereira will enter UFC 307 as a huge favorite, with oddsmakers listing the champ at -520 and Rountree a +350 underdog, via FanDuel.

How to watch Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree at UFC 307

  • When: Saturday, Oct. 7, 2024
  • Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view

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

Khalil Rountree aims to put on Hall of Fame worthy fight vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 307

Is Khalil Rountree is determined to entertain at the expense of winning a UFC title? Seems like it.

The biggest moment of [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]’s professional MMA career is coming soon.

In a few weeks, Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) will step into the octagon for his first UFC championship fight, and he’ll do so against one of the most dangerous fighters in the history of the sport – [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]. The two light heavyweights meet in the main event of UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.

Rountree can’t wait for fight night. He believes he’s on the cusp of creating MMA history, along with Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

“I literally have no intention of shooting for takedowns or trying to take what people would consider the easy route,” Rountree told Michael Bisping on his YouTube channel. “I’m here to – honestly, I want to put on a fight to remember. For me, this is a fight that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. This is a moment in my story that I’m going to remember.

“I want to do the same thing and deliver the same things for the fans. I want this to be one of those fights where people talk about for years to come. Hopefully both of us do enough in our careers where this fight can make the Hall of Fame, something like that. When I think about this fight, I think of something that’s pure entertainment for the fans and for ourselves.”

Pereira is a former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion and stands today as one of the most feared strikers in MMA. Many believe that wrestling is the path to victory against Pereira.

Although Rountree doesn’t disagree, he wants to remain loyal to his style and the type of fighting that got him to a UFC championship fight.

“It doesn’t make sense. I’m not a wrestler,” Rountree said when asked if he was going to have a wrestling approach. “Yes, I’m a mixed martial artist, I’m able to do a lot of different things, my grappling is good, my wrestling is decent, but that’s just not me. That’s just not my instinct. So why would I put myself in harms way to try to secure this victory when that’s just not me. That’s just not my style.”

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

Khalil Rountree suspended for self-reported positive drug test, but UFC 307 main event goes on

The Nevada commission praised Khalil Rountree for self-reporting his drug-test failure and said it contributed to a lesser punishment.

The UFC 307 main event is cleared to go off without a hitch after [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] was suspended Thursday.

An official punishment was handed out by the Nevada Athletic Commission during its monthly meeting, but the duration will expire prior to Rountree’s Oct. 5 fight vs. light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in Salt Lake City.

Rountree, 34, was suspended 4.5 months and fined $157.04 for prosecution fees as part of a settlement agreement approved by commission members. The commission praised Rountree, who was present at the hearing, for self-reporting the issue and being cooperative throughout the process.

“I’m glad he showed up, and the self-reporting obviously had a great influence on the commission’s decision here,” NAC chairman Dallas Haun said. “I applaud him for self-reporting.”

Rountree accepted an opportunity to speak and thanked the commission for their investigation into the matter.

“I just want to say thank you guys for looking into the details of the matter,” Rountree said. “It definitely has made a huge difference in everything that’s happening right now in my life. I’m just really appreciative of you guys for taking the extra time to look into the details.”

The UFC had internally suspended Rountree for two months through its anti-doping program, Combat Sports Anti-Doping, for a May 4 drug test failure. Rountree submitted a urine sample that tested positive for anabolic steroid DHEA.

According to CSAD, Rountree self-reported accidental ingestion of a blended supplement that contained DHEA. A May 4 sample tested by Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) was consistent with Rountree’s claim.

Rountree was first to publicly announce the failure, which resulted in his removal from the UFC 303 co-main event June 29 against Jamahal Hill.

Through documentation provided by Rountree, CSAD confirmed a supplement company sent the fighter “therapeutic blend” products “without prior approval.” CSAD wrote that the supplement company owner called the error “a massive oversight on our part.”

“CSAD has determined that Rountree’s actions after he determined the error, and the evidence of this case, fit these criteria, and thus CSAD is reducing the sanction against Rountree to 2 months,” CSAD said in a statement.

The doses Rountree ingested were not believed to have any significant performance benefits, CSAD said after consultation with SMRTL.

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