Chael Sonnen drops cryptic tweet berating Khalil Rountree Jr. for UFC 307 game plan: "MMA is a collection of athletic rejects"
Chael Sonnen has addressed the Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. matchup in its aftermath and seemingly jibed at Rountree's game plan. The MMA fighter-turned-analyst suggested that despite Rountree being the more well-rounded MMA fighter, the kickboxing specialist Pereira's supposedly one-dimensional skillset prevailed.
Pereira is a former two-division Glory kickboxing champion and a former UFC middleweight champion. 'Poatan' successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight title with a fourth-round TKO over Rountree in a striking-heavy showdown that headlined UFC 307 in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5, 2024.
Incidentally, the main card's opening fight saw two-time Olympic gold medalist Judoka Kayla Harrison utilize a mix of striking and grappling. Harrison was cut by an elbow strike and bled en route to her unanimous decision win over Ketlen Vieira.
Taking to X, MMA fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen alluded to the dichotomy between striking specialist Pereira and grappling specialist Harrison's respective approaches and wrote:
"We had a World Champion grappler go out and try to strike tonight cuz someone told em YOU GOTTA ROUND OUT YOUR GAME. We had a World Champion kickboxer, go out there and kick Box because the people that told him he needed to round out his game, he ignored."
In the build-up to UFC 307, Chael Sonnen was one of the few notable MMA personalities who'd picked Khalil Rountree Jr. to win. Sonnen predicted Rountree would "walk through Pereira." Nevertheless, Pereira beat Rountree with a progressively vicious striking clinic.
After UFC 307, Sonnen appeared to jab at Rountree and most other MMA fighters, implying that they hadn't mastered any single martial art and hadn't achieved high-level success in any sport.
Well, Rountree emphasized beforehand that his game plan would entail striking with Pereira rather than shooting takedowns and mixing in grappling. Rountree kept his word. Alluding to the dangerous game plan, Sonnen tweeted:
"MMA is a collection of athletic rejects that weren't good at any 1 thing or at least not good enough to be paid to do it. If you were the rare exception, who became the best in the world at a craft would you follow the advice of somebody who had never mastered one?"
Chael Sonnen on potential reason why Khalil Rountree Jr. didn't secure a takedown against Alex Pereira
In a response to one of Chael Sonnen's aforementioned tweets, a netizen seemed to suggest that Khalil Rountree Jr. had a hold of Alex Pereira's legs multiple times. It was presumably a reference to when Rountree caught Pereira's kicks.
The fan questioned why other fighters, and Khalil Rountree Jr. as well, don't attempt to take Pereira to the ground and coast to a win. Sonnen replied by signaling that simply securing a leg doesn't necessarily guarantee a successful takedown in MMA. Having himself extensively used the double-leg takedown, the wrestling and MMA veteran tweeted:
"You cannot have a leg in MMA. If you ever grab somebody by the leg, you've just given them your hands. If you're not in on a double you are not in on anything."
Furthermore, Khalil Rountree Jr., who suffered considerable facial damage in the title showdown, earned widespread praise for his valiant effort. 'The War Horse' asserted that he was grateful for the UFC title shot and asserted that he'd like to compete in Salt Lake City, Utah, again. Rountree's next fight and comeback date are currently unclear.