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.

SCOTLAND are in Croatia this Saturday, looking to bring their six-game winless run to an end.

Our team of betting experts have selected a Bet Builder for the top-flight encounter, which Betfred have priced up at 4/1.

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Croatia vs Scotland tips

Our Bet Builder selections: Both teams to score, over 2.5 goals and Che Adams to score anytime.

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Here’s why we’ve made those selections:

• Both teams to score: Both teams have scored in five of Scotland’s last six games. Three of Croatia’s last four have also had both teams scoring – and also when the sides met in Euro 2020.

• Over 2.5 goals: Eight goals scored in Scotland’s last two games and similar to above, there’s a winner in this and both teams will score.

• Che Adams to score: Has scored in three of last four games for Torino before the break – only failing to score when coming off the bench in final half hour at San Siro. Back to lead the line and needs to nail place.

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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.

Mark Cavendish’s final professional race is set to be the two-day Tour de France Criterium in Singapore on 9-10 November.

The 39-year-old ‘Manx Missile’ has not competed since he broke the Tour de France stage wins record with his 35th victory in July.

Cavendish confirmed he would not do another Tour de France after receiving his knighthood at Windsor Castle earlier this month, but added he was committed to completing his 2024 race schedule.

Organisers of the race in Singapore say, external the event will be his last of the year and bring the curtain down on Cavendish’s distinguished career.

Cavendish, from the Isle of Man, has won 165 races since the start of his professional career in 2005, including the 2011 world road title, while he also won Olympic omnium silver at Rio 2016.

He was set to retire at the end of the 2023 season but, after the disappointment of his race-ending crash from the Tour de France that year, he decided to delay it by a year.

And, having jointly held the record for most Tour stage wins with the legendary Eddy Merckx since 2021, Cavendish surpassed the Belgian with his stage win in Saint Vulbas in July.

TOP jockey Callum Shepherd will miss the rest of the Flat season after breaking his collarbone and his back in a terrifying fall at Kempton.

He was riding Militry Decoration in the 4.12 race on the all-weather on Wednesday night when the horse clipped heels and fell, throwing Shepherd from the saddle.

1

Shepherd was treated by medics on course and taken to hospital, where he was found to have suffered a stable fracture to his T3 and T6 vertebrae.

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He will see a specialist on Friday to determine the length of time it will take for him to return to the saddle.

Sadly, Militry Decoration suffered a fatal injury.

It means Shepherd, 27, will miss the lucrative meetings at Newmarket this weekend and British Champions Day at Ascot next weekend, where he would have been due to ride Quddwah in the QEII.

The nasty injury caps off a season of extreme highs and lows for the jockey.

He was shockingly jocked off Ambiente Friendly just days before the Derby, despite having ridden him to an impressive victory in a Classic trial.

Just two weeks later, he rode one of the biggest and most emotional winners of his career in the Hardwicke Stakes on Isle Of Jura at Royal Ascot.

He also suffered nasty facial injuries in a fall at Ascot and was banned for 18 days by the stewards at Kempton after they deemed he had thrown away outright victory after easing up near the line. He later appealed and had his ban overturned.

He told Sunracing: “I’ve broken my collarbone and fractured by T3 and T6 vertebrae, thankfully it’s a stable fracture and it’s just a case of managing the pain and resting up.

“I’m seeing a specialist tomorrow but it’s safe to assume I will miss the rest of the Flat season.

“It’s very frustrating but we all know what the worst case scenario can be with falls like this, so you just have to count yourself a little lucky.

“It has been a bit of a rollercoaster year, that’s for sure. I will just focus on getting back for the international racing over the winter now.”

As tennis legend Rafael Nadal announces his retirement, BBC Sport looks back at the moment the Spaniard clinched his maiden Wimbledon title in 2008 after an epic final against Roger Federer.

READ MORE: Tennis legend Nadal confirms retirement

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