Alex Pereira challenges Khalil Rountree Jr. to bet a percentage of his purse against using takedowns at UFC 307: "It's hard to believe"
Khalil Rountree Jr. has been quite vocal about his intentions to not use takedowns against Alex Pereira when they meet in the octagon.
Naturally, the light heavyweight champion doesn't believe his opponent will stay true to his proclamations and has a unique idea in mind to incentivize 'The War Horse' to follow through with his words.
In interviews in the lead-up to his UFC 307 title clash against Pereira, Rountree Jr. has stated that he would not be shooting for takedowns against the Brazilian. The 34-year-old seems convinced that he can beat his opponent on the feet.
But, 'Poatan' is one of the most dangerous strikers in the sport and few who have chosen to strike with him have come out on top and the UFC superstar maintains his opponent will indeed try to take him down.
In a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Pereira laid out an idea on how to force 'The War Horse' to follow through with his words, saying:
"Honestly bro, everybody says that before trying to shoot a takedown against this guy, so it's hard to believe. The only way [I'll] believe [is] if Khalil goes public and say, 'I promise that I'm not going to shoot a takedown on this guy, and if I do and I'm going to donate a percentage of my purse for charity,' then [I'll] believe it and say let's bang."
Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (2:05):
Pereira and Rountree Jr. are set to lock horns in the main event of UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.: UFC 307 betting odds
When Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree was announced, 'Poatan' had opened as a -535 favorite for the match-up, with Rountree as a +400 underdog.
However 'The War Horse' has closed up the margin in recent weeks. According to the UFC's official website, Alex Pereira is currently a -455 favorite over Khalil Rountree Jr. (+350 underdog) for their UFC 307 title clash. With the event almost a week out the final odds might be different.
As per the current odds, a successful $100 bet on the champion will return a payout of $121.98, while the same wager on the challenger will provide a more lucrative winning of $450 if 'The War Horse' gets his hand raised.
UFC 307, will mark Rountree's maiden promotional title shot, while Pereira will try to defend the 205-pound strap for a third time at the pay-per-view.