Despite coming up short in the biggest fight of his career to date, Khalil Rountree is able to look back fondly at UFC 307.
In Salt Lake City this past October, he put in a valiant effort against the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
"Poatan" emerged victorious after stopping his challenger in the fourth round with a devastating display of striking but the toughness of Rountree earned just as much praise.
Throughout fight week, it was clear that the first-time title challenger was bathing in the positivity of the moment.
His five-fight winning streak had got him to the top and though he was unable to claim the 205-pound title, he felt validated that all of his hard work had brought him to this stage in his career.
Rountree recently spent some time training in the UK alongside Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison where during his visit, he reflected on the fight in an interview with Fight Energy Films:
“It was a bit surreal to be standing in front of him in moments, in the faceoff and stuff,” Rountree told Fight Energy Films. “But I asked for that fight from the beginning. I always knew that I wanted to fight him, so when I was there, it was just more of a thing of like, ‘OK, yeah, I’m finally here’ – not so much I’m here in front of this guy. It was more of, this is what I’ve wanted, this is the moment I’ve always imagined.
“He is a big guy, he is strong, he is everything, but it didn’t really mix me up too much. I was happy and prepared. … The only thing I can really remember is just being happy. Even the moment when I got finished in the fourth round, I just felt so happy throughout that whole fight. It felt like I was where I belonged. I felt like I belonged there. It was really like living in a dream and there was nothing but happiness and excitement in those moments.”
Watch the full video below:
