Khalil Rountree Jr reflects on positive takeaway from grueling clash against Alex Pereira: "I've been through the fire"
Khalil Rountree Jr. recently opened up about his UFC light heavyweight title clash against Alex Pereira and described a positive takeaway from the bout, despite his loss.
Although initially being criticized due to Rountree Jr.'s light heavyweight ranking, the UFC 307 main event delivered as 'The War Horse' proved to be a dangerous threat to Pereira. Despite losing a fourth-round TKO, the challenger was able to drop 'Poatan' early on, and the fight tested both competitors' resilience and toughness.
In his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Rountree Jr. revealed that his loss against Pereira wasn't the worst thing for his career because of what he learned about himself. 'The War Horse' mentioned that he understood what was required to become a champion and the limits he's willing to go to to get his hand raised. He said:
"I saw how far I was willing to go... I went as far as I possibly could and in my mind, I enjoyed the whole thing. I enjoyed it all the way through and it was just something that I remember. I gave my absolute all in that fight, so I got to experience what that feels like. I think it helped me just grow and not necessarily be afraid of the fire. I've been through the fire and although I didn't make it out victorious, I've been there and I felt it. And so, I think it toughened me up."
Check out Khalil Rountree Jr.'s comments below:
Khalil Rountree Jr vows to secure another UFC light heavyweight title shot
Khalil Rountree Jr. also outlined his preferred path back to the title and vowed to secure another UFC light heavyweight title shot with a statement win over Jamahal Hill at UFC Baku.
In the above appearance, Rountree Jr. mentioned his plans to impress the UFC brass this weekend and secure a title shot. He said:
"My plan is to put on a performance that makes a title shot again undeniable, if that makes any sense... I'm definitely sure that I'm ready to be a champion... and everything that I'm working on and doing is to be prepared for that again. And so, yeah, that's absolutely what I want and what I'm gunning for."
Check out Khalil Rountree Jr.'s comments below: