This past Saturday in the main event of UFC 307, the light heavyweight title was on the line. Alex Pereira (12-2) was taking on arguably his toughest striking challenge in the light heavyweight division in Khalil Rountree (13-6).
While Rountree had won five fights in a row entering Saturday, he was only ranked eighth in the division. Many questioned whether he deserved a title shot, but all of those questions were answered in the first couple of rounds.
It was clear from the very beginning that Khalil Rountree was going to be a challenge for Alex Pereira. Pereira couldn’t find his range early and it was clear that Rountree was the faster striker. Rountree threw with a ton of speed and he used a lot of volume to keep the champion off-balanced for the first few rounds.
Through three rounds, Rountree was up 29-28 on all three scorecards. However, Pereira had really started to take on the damage with his jab and leg kicks in the third round. Entering the fourth, Rountree was already bloodied and battered. However, he wouldn’t give up on himself and his dream of becoming UFC champion. That said, Pereira was just too much and ultimately, Rountree was stopped in the fourth round.
What’s next after UFC 307?
This is one of those times where the loser of the fight actually saw his stock rise opposed to falling. I think Khalil Rountree is looked at in a whole new light after UFC 307 and because of that, I think he’s going to get a big time fight in his next matchup.
So, who should Rountree fight next? I’d like to see the UFC rebook the fight between Rountree and former champion Jamahal Hill. Hill hasn’t fought since April when he got knocked out by Alex Pereira and he was supposed to fight Rountree back in June.
However, Rountree had a positive test due to a tainted supplement and then Jamahal Hill got injured so the fight never came together. Considering where both men are at in the division, I think the fight makes even more sense now and I expect that’s the fight that’ll happen next.