Khalil Rountree Jr. just had the fight of his life, and he predicts bigger things ahead.

First, the light heavyweight contender has to heal up after a hellacious title fight with champion Alex Pereira this past Saturday at UFC 307. Rountree took Pereira to the fourth round and was actually ahead on all three scorecards, but the bloodied challenger succumbed to a furious Pereira knockout flurry that removed the judges from the equation.

Rountree has since undergone septoplasty surgery on his nose to address injuries suffered in the fight and he went into further detail on the ordeal in an interview with Kevin Iole.

“I don’t know exactly what punch, I know that last uppercut after the body shots, that definitely landed on my nose, but I already had felt some pain in my head,” Rountree said. “It could have been from that, but after we got the scans and everything the night of the fight, the doctors saw that there was some slight fracturing and a severely deviated septum so we just went right ahead and corrected that as soon as I got home.

“Definitely the most uncomfortable, painful procedure I’ve ever had last night. It was the hardest sleep. My mouse was constantly dry, it was just a constant headache, but inside of my nose, my nasal cavity, right now is just stuffed with sponges and splints, so it’s very, very uncomfortable.”

Rountree has no regrets about standing and striking with the fearsome Pereira, especially after seeing all the respect and praise he received from fans, fighters, and media. He’ll have plenty of time to bask in this newfound admiration as he plans to take time to recover from his injuries before a potential return in early 2025.

“I’m very excited to come back and fight again, but it will probably be Q1 next year,” Rountree said. “I know that people got to see me fight, but this really showed me two things: It showed me that I’m prepared to fight at that level, but it also showed me that there’s a lot to learn and there’s a lot to grow.

“I want to come back and be very skillful and strategic and just make sure that I make the right decisions, because I’m here for a long time. I just signed a new contract prior to this fight, so I’ve got a lot more fights left and I’m in no rush.”

One potential opponent linked to Rountree is former champion Jamahal Hill. The two were scheduled to fight at UFC 303 this past June, but Rountree was removed from the card after testing positive for a banned substance, resulting in a brief suspension. Hill subsequently pulled out of the event with an injury.

Should their timetables line up, re-booking Rountree vs. Hill makes all the sense in the world, with both contenders vying for another championship opportunity.

“I think it’s almost inevitable, right?” Rountree said when asked about Hill. “I think he’s ranked No. 3, so I think anyone up there in the top 5 is kind of inevitable. So let’s see what happens, I think pretty shortly there I’ll be talking to the matchmakers and the bosses and see what they think.

“I’m here for it all. I’m not done. I’m going to continue, I hope and I believe that I’ll have another chance at fighting for the belt whether it’s Alex or whoever else if someone is able to take it from him, but yeah, I think that fight could definitely still happen.”

On his Instagram story, Pereira responded to the proposed matchup.

Comeback? Dana White would love to see women’s MMA GOAT Amanda Nunes back in action.

Rematch. UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland could run it back soon.

Brawl. Renato Moicano wants a money matchup with Justin Gaethje.

Reunited. Alex Pereira had a hand in past kickboxing rival Artem Vakhitov winning a Contender Series contract.

Hater. Nate Diaz doesn’t think Justin Gaethje nor Dustin Poirier should be in a “BMF” tournament.

Trouble. Antonio Trocoli arrested after an incident allegedly involving Mackenzie Dern’s ex-husband.

Value. Brandon Royval is being smarter about his bookings and vows, “I’m not a cheap ass prostitute anymore.”

Martin and Money Moicano.

ICYMI: DWCS KOs

Get caught up on the finishes from Saturday’s UFC Vegas 98 headliners.

Max Holloway reveals his secrets.

Funky and The Champ stir the pot.

Believe You Me. Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith break down all the action from UFC 307.

Mike Heck. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck talks to three-time Contender Series winner and new UFC roster member Torrez Finney.

Old Man Volk is back.

Dan Hooker is in.

Po-Time?

Chama time.

Don’t do them like that, Sanko!

Now this is how you Power Slap.

Darren Till, not a Jake Paul fan.

Time flies.

Good luck taking on this trio.

Junior Tafa (5-3) vs. Sean Sharaf (4-0); UFC Vegas 98, Oct. 12

It’s truly crazy to think how far Khalil Rountree Jr. has come from being an Ultimate Fighter runner-up (comment below if you remember who beat him. No cheating!) to UFC title challenger and now a fan favorite fighter. He always had the potential with an exciting striking style, but there were so many spots along the way where it looked like he’d be an also-ran or a never-was. Now here he is.

The question is, has Rountree peaked or are his best days ahead? Vote in the poll below and let us know your thoughts.

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp announced his return to the game on Wednesday, taking a role as global head of soccer at Red Bull.

“I’m fortunate that there are lots of different opportunities that are presenting themselves. The business side of football is really interesting,” said Southgate.

“I’ve been invited to speak at Harvard and there’s lots of exciting life experiences to have.

“I’m 54 and want to enjoy and be really motivated for the next 10 to 15 years of my life and the most important thing is to give myself time to make good decisions.”

Southgate says he will not coach another international team and will be careful before returning to the club environment. He previously managed Middlesbrough from 2006 to 2009.

“Clubs can only be successful if everything is aligned, right the way through the club,” he said.

“I also know that maybe the smarter people sit in the boardrooms and the coaches are a little bit more dispensable than you think when you are there.

“As a coach you think you’re the most important person. I sat in every boardroom in our country for eight years and realised you’re only a small piece in this whole thing.”

England face Greece in the Nations League at Wembley on Thursday evening.

Lee Carsley, who replaced Southgate as interim manager, has won both of his two fixtures in charge of the Three Lions.

But, after some promise in their Premier Sports Cup group stage in which they won away to Championship hosts Thistle and became bookmakers’ favourites for the league title, they have gone eight games without a victory.

McCall told Clyde’s website: “I take great pride in having contributed to the club’s success in maintaining its league status last season, particularly from such a challenging position.”

Clyde said they “would like to place on record our huge thanks for his efforts in keeping the club in League 2 last season” as Scally and Kerr “assume responsibility of the team on a caretaker basis while we follow due process to appoint a new manager”.

Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to The Spartans was Clyde’s fourth draw in a row after four consecutive defeats and they sit second bottom, two points above Edinburgh City.

The former Glasgow-based club also currently share Hamilton Academical’s New Douglas Park as they seek a new home ground after leaving Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld two years ago.

Wayne Rooney has been nominated for the Championship manager of the month award for the first time since becoming Plymouth Argyle boss.

The former England captain – who took over at Argyle in May – has been recognised for his work in September alongside John Eustace of Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder and Burnley manager Scott Parker.

Rooney led an upturn in form at Home Park last month that saw Argyle beat Championship leaders Sunderland 3-2 before a narrow 1-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion.

The club ended the month with a 3-1 home win over relegated Premier League side Luton Town.

The results saw Argyle climb from the relegation places to 13th in the Championship with Rooney claiming his first league wins as boss.

The former Everton and Manchester United striker also led Argyle to victory over Blackburn Rovers last week, but faces FA charges after he was sent off.

Rooney was unhappy with a decision that led to Rovers’ equaliser and is accused of three counts of improper conduct.

“We want to be pitting ourselves against the best, that’s what we’re doing. But the next step is to start getting these results and we’re desperate for them.”

McLean has been a mainstay of Scotland squads under Clarke, earning 44 caps, mainly as a replacement.

The 32-year-old did start both matches in September’s international window and feels he is in a strong position to keep pushing for a place in the side.

“I’ve always worked as hard as I can back at club level to be part of it and that’s all every player can do really,” he added. “I’ll keep doing as much as I can and I’ll always be as available as I can for the manager and then the decision is his.

“I don’t want to here just because I’ve been here in the past. I want to continue to do as well as I can for Norwich and then hopefully it keeps me and the manager’s plans for as long as possible.”

England interim manager Lee Carsley says John Stones “deserves” England captaincy as he takes the armband from Harry Kane who will not be fit to start their Nations League match against Greece at Wembley.

READ MORE: England captain Kane not fit to start against Greece