Khalil Rountree has no animosity towards Sean Strickland after receiving an apology from him, and is focused on his upcoming UFC title fight against Alex Pereira, dismissing any criticism about his title shot as irrelevant.
Khalil Rountree holds no grudges against Sean Strickland after receiving an apology from the former UFC middleweight champ. Their friction began when Strickland posted a video online, accusing Rountree of causing trouble during their training sessions. Strickland even claimed Rountree complained to the UFC about a comment he made regarding his ex-girlfriend.
“If you met him, you would hate him,” Strickland declared. “Trust me on this, he sucks.” Yet, ahead of UFC 307, Rountree wasn’t fazed by light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira bringing Strickland as a training partner. Surprisingly, Rountree revealed that Strickland apologized when they crossed paths a few months back.
“Honestly, our last interaction was at the UFC Performance Institute,” Rountree shared during UFC 307 media day. It happened right after Dan Ige stepped into a fight on super short notice. I walked up to Ige, praised him for his bravery—balls of steel, honestly.
Then out of nowhere, Strickland approached me. He admitted, ‘Khalil, I apologize, I’m a dumbass. Actually, I kinda like you. Think you’re a liberal but overall, respect you.’ Or something like that.” The chat ended with Rountree acknowledging Strickland’s remorse and not worrying much about future remarks.
If anything, Rountree was glad to leave the drama behind. “I saw it as squashing whatever beef,” he said. “I’m just gonna say what I say, but I came here to shake your hand and tell you I respect you. It felt like making peace.”
Going forward? Rountree’s not concerned with any more chatter. “Stored in my memory bank,” he noted. “No real issue now; it’s just talk.” As for his upcoming title fight? Grateful for the opportunity but unfazed by critics claiming he didn’t earn it over top contenders like Magomed Ankalaev.
Turns out Rountree hasn’t even noticed the criticism. “I didn’t pay attention,” he said. “No space or time for others’ opinions. I’m fighting for the title on Saturday—that’s my focus. If it upsets people? Not my business.”
“My job is to do what the UFC asks,” he continued. “Opinions will fly even after this; can’t let them bother me.” One storyline that intrigues him: possibly defeating another world-class kickboxer to clinch the UFC championship.
He’s already toppled legends like Gokhan Saki and Dustin Jacoby. Now, facing former GLORY champ Pereira with the title at stake? “I think it’s kinda cool,” Rountree mused. “A fun angle for fans—Alex as the final boss? Yeah, it’s exciting.”
“It adds interest and anticipation,” he concluded. “So yeah, I’d like to entertain it.”