Khalil Rountree Jr. showcased immense bravery in his UFC 307 fight against Alex Pereira, enduring a fourth-round knockout and sustaining numerous cuts that required hospital treatment, earning praise from UFC CEO Dana White for his fearless performance.
Khalil Rountree Jr. won’t soon forget his epic battle against Alex Pereira at UFC 307. He’ll have the scars to show for it.
Despite a valiant effort, the light heavyweight title challenger came up short. His night ended with a devastating fourth-round knockout loss as Pereira’s championship reign continued.
After the fight, Rountree was transported to a local Salt Lake City hospital. It was precautionary, but necessary, to stitch up several gruesome cuts he suffered during the fight.
UFC CEO Dana White posted a backstage photo of Rountree. The image showed off all the cuts and bruising from his battle against Pereira.
While the result didn’t go his way, Rountree showed tons of heart. He gave Pereira everything he could handle during the early part of the fight.
As time passed, however, Pereira seized control. His pinpoint accurate striking, including a jab, did a lot of damage to Rountree’s face.
By the time the fourth round was underway, Rountree’s face was a mess. Blood poured out of wounds, covering his entire face and chest.
Still, Rountree kept coming until Pereira finally blasted him with body shots and one final uppercut. That ended his night.
He didn’t get the win, but White had nothing but praise for Rountree’s performance. “He had no fear from the first round,” White said.
“Khalil Rountree went in there and started going at it the minute the bell rang. No fear, no jitters, no nerves.”
“Maybe he had some jitters and nerves; if he did, he didn’t show it,” White continued. “He went right in against one of the baddest dudes of all time and just started mixing it up with him. It was awesome.”
It remains to be seen if all of the damage done was just superficial or if Rountree suffered any significant injuries from the fight. He’ll get checked over by doctors in Utah before being cleared to return home to Las Vegas.