Alex Pereira wants Khalil Rountree to put his money where his mouth is.
Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Rountree in the main event at UFC 307 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rountree getting a title shot over Magomed Ankalaev came as a surprise to many, including Pereira.
However, “The War Horse” has consistently defended his gold bid as a clash of fan-friendly styles. Both proven knockout artists, Pereira and Rountree have a combined total of one takedown attempt in their UFC careers. And Rountree promises that won’t change on Saturday night.
UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
However, Pereira isn’t buying it unless Rountree wagers something. The former Glory Kickboxing champion has had former opponents make the same promise and not follow up on it. “Poatan” has dared Rountree to publicly promise a portion of his UFC 307 fight purse to charity if he shoots for a takedown.
“Honestly bro, everybody that said that before, [ended up] shooting a takedown on [him],” Pereira recently told Kevin Iole through a translator. “So it’s hard to believe. The only way he will believe [that is] if Khalil go in public and say, ‘I promise that I’m not gonna shoot a takedown on this guy. And if I do, I’m gonna donate a percentage of my purse for charity.’ Then [I] believe it’s KO, ‘Let’s bang.’”
Pereira has finished nine of his 11 career wins via knockout or technical knockout — including six finishes in the UFC. Meanwhile, Rountree has finished nine of his 13 career wins, four of which came during his current five-fight winning streak.
