Tag: Khalil Rountree

Khalil Rountree stops Anthony Smith with brutal uppercut KO – UFC Vegas 83 Highlights

Khalil Rountree stops Anthony Smith with brutal KO win at UFC Vegas 83 highlightsSurging light heavyweight contender, Khalil Rountree has turned in the most high-profile win of his mixed martial arts career…

Khalil Rountree stops Anthony Smith with brutal KO win at UFC Vegas 83 highlights

Surging light heavyweight contender, Khalil Rountree has turned in the most high-profile win of his mixed martial arts career to date, landing an eventual third round knockout win over former title challenger, Anthony Smith — as part of a now extended five-fight winning streak in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 83.

Rountree, the current number eleven ranked light heavyweight contender, landed his fight consecutive victory and fourth knockout stoppage in his five most recent fights, handing Smith a stoppage defeat with a perfectly-placed third round uppercut shot and follow-up left hand.

Adding to prior wins over the likes of Modestas Bukauskas, Dustin Jacoby, and a stoppage of Chris Daukaus, Rountree — an alum of The Ultimate Fighter, managed to bloody veteran Nebraska native, Smith in the first round around his right eye with a slew of well-placed strikes.

And having wobbled the former light heavyweight title challenger in the second round, Rountree then landed a third round stoppage over Smith, forcing him staggering backwards and eventually to the Octagon canvas courtesy of a right uppercut which came before a left hook shot.

Below, catch the highlights from Khalil Rountree’s win over Anthony Smith at UFC Vegas 83

Sean Strickland accuses Khalil Rountree of being in a cult following post-fight snub

Khalil RountreeKhalil Rountree has zero interest in paying outspoken middleweight contender Sean Strickland any attention. In fact, Rountree refuses to even acknowledge the impending 185-pound title challenger’s existence. On Saturday night, Khalil Rountree extended his win streak to four with a nasty first-round knockout against Chris Daukaus at UFC Vegas 78. The California native moved to […]

Khalil Rountree

Khalil Rountree has zero interest in paying outspoken middleweight contender Sean Strickland any attention. In fact, Rountree refuses to even acknowledge the impending 185-pound title challenger’s existence.

On Saturday night, Khalil Rountree extended his win streak to four with a nasty first-round knockout against Chris Daukaus at UFC Vegas 78. The California native moved to 8-5 inside the Octagon and took another big step toward breaking into the light heavyweight division’s top ten. Following the bout, Rountree spoke with members of the media, but it was made abundantly clear that one particular subject was off-limits.

Asked about his rivalry with the always controversial Sean Strickland, Khalil Roundtree was quick to quell the conversation, suggesting that he has no idea who ‘Tarzan’ even is.

“I don’t even know who that is, dude,” Rountree said. “You guys keep asking me about this name. I don’t even know this person.”

In 2022, Strickland targeted Khalil Rountree after the budding 205-pound contender delivered an emotional post-fight speech regarding his struggles with mental health. Strickland immediately directed his aim at Rountree, calling him a “PC beta male” and a “special needs” person. Rountree refused to engage and instead took the high road, hoping that Strickland would one day “learn to be a better person.”

With Sean Strickland gearing up for a high-profile world title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September, it’s understandable why members of the media are quick to bring up the embattled middleweight scrapper whenever the opportunity presents itself, but clearly, Roundtree was not having it.

Sean Strickland Accuses Khalil Rountree of Being in a Cult

As expected, it didn’t take long for Sean Strickland to respond in his own unique way. Taking to Instagram, ‘Tarzan’ accused Khalil Rountree of being in a cult. Specifically the ChoiceCenter Leadership University, an organization that offers “adult and teen personal development and leadership courses using experiential learning to elevate Emotional Intelligence (EQ).”

“When your level 100 @choicecenter tells you not to talk, you listen…,” Strickland wrote in response to Roundtree’s post-fight snub on Saturday night.

Strickland also attempted to start a #FreeRoundtree hashtag while doubling down on his claim that the ChoiceCenter Leadership University is a glorified cult. “You guys I’m not messing with you @choicecenter is a cult. We gotta rescue Roundtree,” he added.

Khalil Rountree stops Chris Daukaus with massive first round KO in fourth straight win – UFC Vegas 78 Highlights

Khalil Rountree stops Chris Daukaus with stunning first round KO UFC Vegas 78Now comfortably riding a run of four consecutive victories, damaging light heavyweight contender, Khalil Rountree has landed yet another vicious knockout win — tonight defeating former heavyweight headliner, Chris Daukaus with a massive first round stoppage on the main card of UFC Vegas 78. Rountree, an alum of The Ultimate Fighter — entered tonight’s matchup […]

Khalil Rountree stops Chris Daukaus with stunning first round KO UFC Vegas 78

Now comfortably riding a run of four consecutive victories, damaging light heavyweight contender, Khalil Rountree has landed yet another vicious knockout win — tonight defeating former heavyweight headliner, Chris Daukaus with a massive first round stoppage on the main card of UFC Vegas 78.

Rountree, an alum of The Ultimate Fighter — entered tonight’s matchup with divisional newcomer, Daukaus off the back of a recent split decision win over recent UFC Nashville winner, Dustin Jacoby.

Prior to that, Rountree managed to secure consecutive finishes over both Modestas Bukauskas, and Karl Roberson with bruising TKO wins.

And calling for his first spot in a headlining clash inside the promotion off the back of tonight’s win, Rountree, who entered tonight’s main card clash as the number 13 ranked contender, managed to stop Daukaus inside the opening frame with a thunderous left hand straight — sending the Philadelphia native to the canvas in crashing fashion, before following up with a slew of devastating ground punches.

Below, catch the highlights from Khalil Rountree’s knockout win over Chris Daukaus

Khalil Rountree Reveals Brutal Alex Pereira Loss Forced Him To Undergo ‘Most Painful Procedure’

The pain for UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree did not end with his failed title challenge in Salt Lake City this past weekend. Rountree received a surprise opportunity to unseat Alex Pereira from the 205-pound throne in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 307 pay-per-view, and he was on track to do so through two […]

Continue Reading Khalil Rountree Reveals Brutal Alex Pereira Loss Forced Him To Undergo ‘Most Painful Procedure’ at MMA News.

The pain for UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree did not end with his failed title challenge in Salt Lake City this past weekend.

Rountree received a surprise opportunity to unseat Alex Pereira from the 205-pound throne in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 307 pay-per-view, and he was on track to do so through two rounds.

Against the odds, “The War Horse” started on top, moving two frames clear on all three scorecards. But after the tide began to turn in round three, “Poatan” increased the heat in vicious fashion once they hit the championship rounds.

The finishing sequence in the fourth stanza made for painful viewing, and the damage suffered by the challenger was unsurprisingly not just superficial…

Rountree On Post-UFC 307 Surgery: ‘Very, Very Uncomfortable’

During a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Rountree reflected on his valiant performance in Utah on Oct. 5 and detailed the damage that Pereira’s fight-ending onslaught left him with.

The 34-year-old revealed that he exited the cage at UFC 307 with a badly deviated septum, which required an incredibly painful procedure to correct days on from the defeat.

“I don’t know what punch, but I know that last uppercut before the body shots definitely landed on my nose. But I already had felt some pain in my head,” Rountree said. “It could’ve been from that, but after we got the scans and everything the night of the fight, the doctors saw that there was some slight fracturing and a severely deviated septum. So we went right ahead and corrected that as soon as I got home.

“Definitely the most uncomfortable, painful procedure I’ve ever had last night,” Rountree continued. “It was the hardest sleep. My mouth is constantly dry and just a constant headache. Inside my nose, my nasal cavities right now are just stuffed with sponges and splints. It’s very, very uncomfortable.”

Nevertheless, Rountree stated that every injury and blemish is worth it in his pursuit of championship glory on MMA’s biggest stage.

And while he didn’t reach it first time around, “The War Horse” has vowed to bounce back stronger in 2025.

Continue Reading Khalil Rountree Reveals Brutal Alex Pereira Loss Forced Him To Undergo ‘Most Painful Procedure’ at MMA News.

Anthony Smith Took Pride in Rountree’s Success vs. Pereira at UFC 306

A lot of fight fans felt that if Khalil Rountree was going to have success at UFC 307, it would need to come early. Alex Pereira is so efficient and effective at setting traps that the fight was always going to get tougher for him in the later rounds and this ended up being the […]

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Took Pride in Rountree’s Success vs. Pereira at UFC 306 at MMA News.

A lot of fight fans felt that if Khalil Rountree was going to have success at UFC 307, it would need to come early.

Alex Pereira is so efficient and effective at setting traps that the fight was always going to get tougher for him in the later rounds and this ended up being the case.

Perhaps what many didn’t expect is how competitive the first few rounds would be before Rountree’s gas tank and the damage he was taking started to catch up to him.

As a former opponent of Rountree’s, Anthony Smith was able to take a lot away from watching this fight play out this past weekend in Salt Lake City.

Anthony Smith Says That Watching Khalil Rountree At UFC 307 Made Him More Positive

Though he has recently buried the hatchet with Pereira over their previous feud, Smith still took a lot of enjoyment after seeing how well Rountree did against “Poatan”.

The challenger’s last victory before he fought for the title was against “Lionheart” where he viciously stopped him in the third round.

Smith was happy that his performance against Rountree clearly wasn’t a one-off after seeing how well he did against Pereira who is a whole different level in the striking.

“To be very honest, there was a lot of me those first two rounds that felt really good watching Khalil, like f***, at least it ain’t just me.

“I was like oh thank God. It would have really hurt my heart if Pereira had went out there and just dusted Khalil in like a round but watching him have some real serious success and land big on, you know how it is as a fighter. You kind of sit back and go, ‘S*** he didn’t land on me like that till the third round’. It was cool and it made he happy for Khalil.”

Read also: ‘How Scary Is It?’ – Daniel Cormier Imagines ‘Amateur’ Alex Pereira With A Well-Rounded MMA Skillset

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Took Pride in Rountree’s Success vs. Pereira at UFC 306 at MMA News.

Daniel Cormier Remembers Tough Training Session With Khalil Rountree

Khalil Rountree has had a truly remarkable journey through life and martial arts that has led him all the way to UFC 307 this weekend. In his 15th Octagon appearance, he will look to leave Salt Lake City as the light heavyweight champion by dethroning Alex Pereira. Rountree has really come into his own in […]

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Remembers Tough Training Session With Khalil Rountree at MMA News.

Khalil Rountree has had a truly remarkable journey through life and martial arts that has led him all the way to UFC 307 this weekend. In his 15th Octagon appearance, he will look to leave Salt Lake City as the light heavyweight champion by dethroning Alex Pereira.

Rountree has really come into his own in recent years as one of the division’s most dangerous strikers who doesn’t let opponents off the hook once he has them hurt.

Though he doesn’t plan on using his grappling at the Delta Center, a former UFC champion recently told a story about how a bad experience in training, which ended up being a vital lesson, had Rountree questioning what he was doing.

Training With a Young Khalil Rountree

On their last preview of UFC 307 before fight night, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen got together in Salt Lake City for another episode of ESPN MMA’s Good Guy / Bad Guy.

During the episode, Cormier revealed that he had trained with Rountree over ten years ago but couldn’t remember it whatsoever.

He recapped the story of how he went hard on the newcomer to the sport with his wrestling pedigree which after some wise words from his coach, ended up being a positive experience for Rountree who was at the very beginning of his career.

“I got a story about me and Khalil, I guess we trained together and I just didn’t know it. Way back in 2011, Wanderlei Silva’s gym. Brett Okamoto told me that Khalil told him that he had just started, guy walks in, we start sparring. I obviously don’t know how to spar at that time, it’s 2010.

He goes, I completely just started wrestling him and he said that when it was over, he was like, ‘I think I’m done fighting forever.’ He said his coach goes up to him and goes, ‘go and Google his name,’ saw my credentials in wrestling and was like, ‘okay, now I understand.’ But it taught him get better everywhere so this can never happen again.”

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Remembers Tough Training Session With Khalil Rountree at MMA News.