Khalil Rountree Jr has insisted he was left almost speechless after finding out he would fight Alex Pereira at UFC 307.
The American will be looking to dethrone Pereira in the upcoming UFC light-heavyweight championship bout when the pair meet in Salt Lake City this weekend.
Rountree Jr gets his first shot at UFC glory this weekendGetty Images
Rountree Jr emerged through Dana White’s promotion from The Ultimate Fighter and is currently on a five-fight win streak, spanning over four years.
You have to go all the way back to December 2023 for the 34-year-old’s last fight in which he knocked out UFC veteran Anthony Smith, who once fought Jon Jones.
Pereira, meanwhile, became only the ninth two-division champion in the UFC’s history when he beat Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November 2023.
Should he get past Rountree Jr at the Delta Centre on Saturday, Pereira would break the UFC record for three consecutive title defences in the shortest amount of time at 175 days.
Speaking on an episode of MightyCast alongside MMA legend Demetrious Johnson, Rountree Jr explained how he felt when he first heard he would be challenging Pereira.
“I was under suspension for a self-reported, taking a banned substance that was given to me,” he said.
“So, I was dealing with that and kind of talking back and forth with the athletic commission, like, ‘Guys. What’s it looking like? Give me an idea, you know.’
“The last time I spoke to the athletic commission the number that I heard was nine months, so [that meant] I won’t be able to fight until February.
“So, I’m like, ‘OK, whatever, swallow that, do whatever I gotta do with it,’ and I just continued to train.
“Then, on a random Wednesday, I get a phone call from UFC, [they said], ‘Hey, how’s your day going?’ I’m like, ‘Terrible’, because I was actually having probably the worst day.
Pereira is the ninth UFC two-weight champion@alexpoatanpereira – instagram
“[Then they responded], ‘Well I got some good news for you, you’re fighting Alex [Pereira], October 5th for the title [in] Salt Lake City,’ and I just lost my mind, I was like, ‘No way.”
Rountree Jr admitted to using a banned substance in May, which meant he had to pull out of his co-main event fight with former champion Jamahal Hill at UFC 303.
He confessed to ingesting an endogenous steroid hormone precursor which is banned for athletes at all times.
Pereira defended his light-heavyweight belt on that night in Las Vegas against Prochazka.
Rountree Jr self-reported the incident himself and it was accidental, therefore, the UFC only issued him with a two-month suspension.
“I immediately told my wife, ‘This has just happened’, [and] she just started crying, boom,” he added.
“Now, I’m just living in that moment in my life and in my story where things that I saw possible, things that I’ve been working for, every fight that I’ve had, it all builds up to this you know.
“This is such a cool time for me because I was not this person not long ago.”
With Pereira having already defended his belt three times and the fact Rountree Jr has never even headlined an event in his UFC career, it is clear the level that both men reside at as we approach fight night.
Rountree Jr, however, doesn’t seem to be feeling any pressure whatsoever going into the main event.
The two fighters have only one combined takedown attempt in their UFC careers, so MMA fans are excited at the prospect of them standing and banging.
Rountree Jr has won his last five fights inside the OctagonGetty
When questioned by Johnson on his approach to the fight, Rountree Jr, who is known for his incredible striking, admitted he is happy to do exactly that with Pereira.
He remarked: “Well, here’s the thing. I feel like a lot of the times when we think of stand and bang it’s very wild. I mean, I plan to go out there and strike to the best of my ability.
“Neither of us are idiots, I think we both know what we’re up against.
“I think that it’s just like what an exciting time in MMA, what an exciting time for supporters of me, what an exciting time for supporters of him.”
Rountree Jr went on to confirm his desire to be the first home-grown UFC fighter from Las Vegas to win a championship belt.
talkSPORT.com has you covered for all things UFC 307 with the main card set to begin at 3am on Sunday morning for UK fans.
