Joe Rogan discusses how Khalil Rountree missed "biggest opportunity of his career" due to ban before his UFC 303 fight with Jamahal Hill
Joe Rogan believes Khalil Rountree Jr. missed out on "the biggest opportunity of his career" due to accidentally taking DHEA. Next Saturday's UFC event, UFC 303, was supposed to feature Rountree in the main event. The card, however, has seen a lot of cancellations and so, has been re-constructed.
The main event was changed from Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler to Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka 2, as McGregor was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Meanwhile, Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes will meet in the co-main event after many fights fell through. Initially, Rountree Jr. was set to face Jamahal Hill, but he pulled out of the fight as he accidentally took a banned supplement, DHEA, leading to a two-month suspension.
During an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan discussed Rountree's situation with Christian Angermayer and Dr. Aron D’Souza. He said:
"The UFC has a guy who accidentally took something that had DHEA in it. A real high-level guy, Khalil Rountree. He was supposed to be fighting Jamahal Hill in three weeks. He found out there was DHEA in it, he informed the UFC, told them, and DHEA isn't even performance-enhancing, and they banned him for two months. He missed out on like the biggest opportunity of his career."
Once Khalil Rountree Jr was suspended, Jamahal Hill accepted a replacement opponent in Carlos Ulberg (6-1 in UFC). Hill later pulled out with a knee injury, leading to Anthony Smith stepping in to fight Ulberg on the UFC 303 main card.
What would have happened if Khalil Rountree Jr. hypothetically defeated Jamahal Hill at UFC 303?
Khalil Rountree Jr. is ranked eighth in the light heavyweight rankings, while his original opponent, Jamahal Hill, stands at the number three spot following his knockout loss against 205-pound king Alex Pereira.
Considering Hill's ranking, a win against him at UFC 303 would have hypothetically been massive for Rountree's presence in the UFC light heavyweight division. 'The War Horse' could have been one win away from a title shot, potentially leading to a number one contender matchup against Magomed Ankalaev.
Watch Rountree's latest knockout win against Anthony Smith below: