Khalil Rountree is unfazed by the issues some of the other 205lb-ers have with him challenging for the Light Heavyweight title.
The bout was one of a number of contests announced for the promotion’s return to Utah on October 6. Following the announcement of the 205lbs main event, several athletes took to social media to express their feelings on the bout.
Mike Heck, of MMAFighting, caught up with Khalil Rountree and got the 34-year-old’s reaction to . When asked how the contest came about, Rountree admitted it caught him a little of guard but he was delighted with the news. He said:
“I got a call from Hunter (Campbell). I was having a bad day that day, dealing with some other stuff, and he's like, ‘I'll make your day better.’ You know, we got this opportunity for you to buy Alex in October, so kind of came by surprise, but hey, of course I'm going to accept that's the fight that I've wanted , it's the fight that I've kind of been calling for, you know? And I'm excited. I'm happy, I'm grateful.”
There has been some backlash from other Light Heavyweight contenders who feel there may have been more suitable contenders for the contest. Rountree understands their frustration but is not concerned by how they feel and is just focussed on the task in hand.
“I understand that people are upset, whatever. Like it's not my problem, for one, like, it's not my problem. It's out of my control. I mean, they gave me the call. Okay, I take it, you know, so let them deal with their own problems.
“Let them talk to the UFC on their own. Whatever fans are not happy about this, I don't know why. I couldn't even call them true fans if you're not happy about this matchup. But for everybody else, yes, they're absolutely right, it's going to be exciting from start to finish and yeah, I'm hyped.”
For ‘The War Horse’, the title shot is a culmination of years of hard work. Reflecting on his journey, Rountree is how living the reality of something that was merely a dream when he started in the sport.
“I mean, this is what I've been working for.
“You know, when I started in MMA everything, my life changed, it all happened kind of like by accident. But I stayed strong, I stayed dedicated and I've always had a belief that this was possible. So now I'm finally here and I'm like living in this reality that was a dream. So, what it means to me, is everything.
“It's that time that I've always seen in my mind, you know, like now it's here. I feel great, man, I'm ready for this.”
You can watch the full interview below:
