Khalil Rountree is coming off one of the most devastating victories of his career.
Rountree got back into the win column last September at UFC Vegas 36 with a stoppage over Modestas Bukauskas after dropping back-to-back against Ion Cutelaba and Marcin Prachnio.
The finishing move was an oblique kick that required Bukauskas to undergo corrective knee surgery. Rountree became the target of online backlash shortly thereafter, because some thought the manner of his finish unnecessary.
The backlash gave “The War Horse” pause, but as he intimated to The AllStar’s Sasha Palatnikov, he’s moved past it now and is fully focused on his next opponent, Karl Roberson. The two face each other at UFC Vegas 50 on March 12.
“After spending time thinking about it, I think in the fight it’s not like I planned it, you know, it’s just something that happened,” Rountree said. “An opportunity that I saw and I took it. It felt good to win. It felt good to win in a way that was noticeable and exciting. But I also did feel a little bit bad. After getting comments and stuff from people disagreeing with how it went down, it caused me to think more.
“I can’t really look at it as good or bad. I think the best thing is that I’m happy that I got the win. And now I just keep training for what’s next. I can’t spend too much time dwelling on it. I spent a little bit of time [dwelling on it] and moved on from it. Now it is on to the next.”
After a stint in Thailand, the 32-year-old Los Angeles native is back at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas for his second straight training camp with head coach John Wood and the crew.
“I feel good. This camp has been tough,” Rountree stated. “I purposely came into this camp and pushed myself as hard as I possibly could so I can get the result that I am looking for. And I’m happy with the growth that I’ve made from the last camp. Just ready to put it all together now.”
During training camp, Rountree takes a unique approach to fighter ritual. It is something that shows a deeper look into the mind.
“Before training and after training are two of my favorite times,” Rountree revealed. “I just get in my car, I put on my music, and I play it as loud as I can. Roll up the windows and I have this full-on experience, almost like a concert. Come to training, get work done, get back to my car, and put my music back on.”
Even though Rountree is riding high off his last victory, he is well aware of the dangers he will face against Roberson and does not take the matchup lightly.
“I think being in the cage with another guy, in general, is something to be worried about,” Rountree said. “That’s how I take it every time, [it] doesn’t matter the opponent. I feel like there are always multiple things to be worried about especially at this level and especially as I win and the competition just gets better and better.
“So I don’t think there is one thing specifically. There’s a multitude of things that I should be and am prepared for. I think it’s just having this guy in the cage across from me is the biggest threat.”
Fighter profile
Khalil “The War Horse” Rountree is a 32 year old male fighter from United States with 9 pro wins and 5 losses. Rountree is scheduled to fight Karl Roberson at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev on Saturday March 12, 2022.
Khalil Rountree’s recent form coming into this matchup
Khalil Rountree has gone 2-3 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Win vs Modestas Bukauskas • KO/TKO R2 2:30 • 2021-09-04
- Loss vs Marcin Prachnio • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-01-23
- Loss vs Ion Cutelaba • KO/TKO R1 2:35 • 2019-09-28
- Win vs Eryk Anders • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-04-13
- Loss vs Johnny Walker • KO/TKO R1 1:57 • 2018-11-17
Khalil Rountree’s next opponent: Karl “Baby K” Roberson
Karl “Baby K” Roberson’s recent form coming into this matchup
Karl “Baby K” Roberson is a 31 year old male fighter from United States with 9 pro wins and 4 losses. Roberson is scheduled to fight Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev on Saturday March 12, 2022.
Karl Roberson has gone 2-3 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Loss vs Brendan Allen • Submission R1 4:55 • 2021-04-24
- Loss vs Marvin Vettori • Submission R1 4:17 • 2020-06-13
- Win vs Roman Kopylov • Submission R3 4:01 • 2019-11-09
- Win vs Wellington Turman • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-07-13
- Loss vs Glover Teixeira • Submission R1 3:21 • 2019-01-19
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