Khalil Rountree Jr. is appreciative of the support he received following the UFC 307 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend in Salt Lake City. But at the end of the day, it’s still a loss, and “War Horse” is focused on climbing his way back to the 205-pound title, currently held by Brazilian smashing machine Alex Pereira.
Would Rountree Jr. consider facing one-time light heavyweight title challenger, Jamahal Hill, to jumpstart his journey?
“Absolutely,” Rountree Jr. told Kevin Iole. “I think it’s almost inevitable, right? I think he’s ranked No. 3. I think anyone up there in the Top 5 is kind of inevitable so let’s see what happens. I think pretty shortly here I’ll be talking to the matchmakers and the bosses and see what they think.”
Rountree Jr., 34, is ranked five spots below Hill at No. 8 (see the Top 15 here).
“I’m very excited to come back and fight again, but it will probably be Q1 next year,” Rountree Jr. continued. “I know that people got to see me fight, but this [Pereira loss] really showed me two things. It showed me that I’m prepared to fight at that level, but it also showed me that there’s a lot to learn and there’s a lot to grow. I want to come back and be very skillful and strategic and just make sure that I make the right decisions.”
Hill, 33, has not competed since his knockout loss to Pereira at UFC 300. He was originally scheduled to return against Carlos Ulberg at UFC 303; however, a series of injuries bounced “Sweet Dreams” from the “Sin City” fight card. Based on his recovery timeline, a Rountree Jr. showdown, on paper, would seem to be the perfect fit.
For much more on Rountree’s performance at UFC 307 click here.