Khalil Rountree may have punched his ticket to a top 5 matchup in the light heavyweight division earlier tonight (Sat., Nov. 18, 2023) at UFC Vegas 83 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, stopping former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith with a third-round knockout (punches).
Rountree’s striking was on point from the opening bell. Smith tried to move inside and use dirty boxing and clinch work along the cage to control the action. Rountree was able to keep away for most of the time and went work with crisp jabs, hard leg kicks, and good work to the body. He even clocked Smith with a big shot towards the end of the first that put “Lionheart” in trouble.
Rountree kept the pressure up in the second with more strikes through Smith’s guard and solid movement around the cage. Smith’s face really started to get busted up. It didn’t get better for him in the third as Rountree connected on a vicious left hand that put Smith on skates and eventually onto the canvas. Rountree approached him with a hand raised ready to drop the hammer, but held off as the referee stepped in for the stoppage.
Check out the video highlights below:
KHALIL ROUNTREE WITH ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT REEL KO #UFCVegas83 @DrinkMonaco pic.twitter.com/w7D9mUgY77
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) December 10, 2023
Rountree, 33, has now won his last five trips to the Octagon with four of those victories being knockouts. The former Ultimate Fighter standout has finally hit a stride and seems ready to test the upper echelon of contenders in the light heavyweight division. Saturday’s matchup against Smith proved that if nothing else.
For complete UFC Vegas 83 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.