Khalil Rountree says he won’t change his style for his upcoming title fight.
Even Rountree likely did not expect his wish to be granted when he called for title shot against Alex Pereira after brutally knocking out Anthony Smith in December 2023. At the time, Pereira had just won the light heavyweight title with a knockout win over former champ Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 this past November. Two title defenses later, Pereira is now slated to defend his strap against Rountree in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
While initially making his case for a title shot against Pereira, Rountree had argued that it would stylistically be a fan-favorite matchup. Now amid severe criticism from higher-ranked contenders, Rountree continues to defend the matchup by citing the standup abilities of both athletes. And since he believes he was granted the matchup for the same reason, Rountree doesn’t plan on robbing fans of a potential banger by wrestling Pereira.
“So check this out, in my career, I’ve never shot one takedown,” Rountree recently told The Schmo. “That’s not in my plans. I’m here to put on an amazing fight for the fans. Like this one, regardless of what anybody says, this is a fight for the fans. I think with my style, with his style, this fight’s not gonna disappoint. So I’m there to do what I do, to do what my fans and everybody knows I’m capable of. And all I can say is just expect a banger, man.”
Rountree is currently riding an impressive five-fight winning streak that includes four finishes. The 34-year-old has finished nine of his 13 career wins, six of them in the first round. Meanwhile, Pereira has finished six of his eight UFC wins on the way to winning two titles within two years of his UFC debut.
