Khalil Rountree Jr. didn’t come away with the win in his attempt at becoming light heavyweight champion at UFC 307 but he still walked away with some valuable lessons.
That’s the message Rountree relayed in his first statement after falling to Alex Pereira via fourth round knockout to cap off the latest pay-per-view card from Salt Lake City. Despite a valiant effort to pull off the upset, Rountree came up short but still showed a ton of heart while battling it out with one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in sport.
“I didn’t win the title but I grew last night,” Rountree wrote on Instagram. “Alex Pereira, thanks for helping me see that I’m ready to take on the world. You showed amazing skill, you brought out a version of me that I needed to experience. You’re the champ for a reason, much respect. But I now know what I am capable of.”
While he wasn’t necessarily considered the No. 1 contender when he got the fight, Rountree certainly made the most of the opportunity.
He came out guns blazing as soon as the fight started and attempted to take Pereira’s head off in almost every exchange. Unfortunately as time passed, Rountree started to run out of gas and Pereira took over.
By the time the fourth round was nearing an end, Pereira had busted up Rountree so badly that he had blood just pouring down his face and chest. The final sequence saw Pereira deliver a pair of vicious punches to the body before one last uppercut that dropped Rountree to the canvas.
The referee immediately swooped in to stop the fight before Rountree took any further damage.
Thanks to several gnarly cuts that he suffered during the fight, Rountree was immediately taken to a local hospital for treatment so outside of his post-fight interview, he didn’t get a chance to address his performance until Sunday.
“Brazil, you guys have a strong champion, be proud,” Rountree said. “I will take time to heal from this, I’ll be back even better, it’s inevitable. I’m grateful. Never give up on yourself, always fight hard, uplift your communities and find ways to make the most out of life.”
Even in defeat, Rountree raised his stock with that kind of fight and it’s tough to imagine he won’t have another big opportunity awaiting him when he competes again.
