Khalil Rountree Jr. sat down with Fighters Only’s Paul Browne ahead of his highly anticipated clash with former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka at UFC 320.
UFC 320's Sleeper Hit
With two championship belts on the line at T-Mobile Arena this Saturday, much of the buildup to UFC 320 has focused on the main events at the top of the card.
But for hardcore fight fans, the matchup between Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) and Jiri Prochazka (31-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) could end up stealing the show. Two of the most dangerous strikers on the UFC roster will face off in a compelling bout that may carry major implications for the 205-pound title picture.
“Yeah, it’s very interesting, (it’s a) very tough matchup,” Rountree Jr. told Fighters Only. “It's a good matchup for a fight fan, you know? That's how I see it. If you're a fan of striking, if you're a fan of martial arts mixed martial arts then this is a fight for you absolutely!”
The War Horse’s Rise
A huge upswing in form has propelled “The War Horse” into the top tier of the division in recent years. With six wins in his last seven outings, Rountree Jr. has positioned himself as a title contender and firmly established his place in the division’s top five.
At 35, he has built a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the weight class. If he manages to put Prochazka on the canvas this weekend, he will set a new record for the most knockdowns in divisional history—surpassing two legends of the sport, Chuck Liddell and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
“That was also brought to my attention yesterday, so that was something that you know I was able to just kind of take home, you know, for myself last night,” he says, beaming with pride. “Like wow, like this is cool. You know, like I remember watching these guys. I remember being inspired by Chuck Liddell or Shogun Rua when they were in their prime. And now here I am, and my name is somewhere on the list next to them and could surpass them. So it's a really cool moment to take that in.”
Don’t Blink
With seven UFC knockouts to his name, Rountree Jr. is closing in on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (8) and Chuck Liddell (9) for the divisional record. This weekend, he steps in against Prochazka—an opponent who has finished all five of his UFC victories by knockout. According to John Wood, Rountree Jr.’s head coach at Syndicate MMA, fans can expect a show on Saturday night.
“I just can't see how this one possibly would go all three rounds,” Wood says with excitement. “I just don't see it. I just…I can't see that anybody sees it unless something— and I've gone on record to say that if it does, you know, these guys are going to be going to the hospital afterwards. Obviously, hopefully not on our end. I'm a little, you know, a little biased on this one. It's a phenomenal matchup.
“Jiri has a lot of tools and craziness and things that he brings to the that are really fun to game plan for. It's always a puzzle. You know, as a coach, I always look at how do we get around. How do we solve these puzzles? How is this person trying to the puzzle that we bring?
“I can tell you this: it's been a great camp. Khalil is amazingly healthy and I haven't seen him this violent in a while. And I know that itch is there and he wants to scratch it. And I think that you it's going to be a very, very, very violent fight. It's going to be exciting fight. I think this is the fan favorite on the card from everything that I hear.
“And as a fan, like, I would love to sit back and just watch this fight. You know, I got the best seat in (the house) but it’s a little more stressful than sitting on the couch drinking some beer and watching the fight, enjoying it. But I really do not see this going all three rounds. And obviously I'm going to go with Khalil on this one by brutal knockout.”
