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.
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“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.”
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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.”
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On his Instagram story, Pereira responded to the proposed matchup.
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.
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Does Khalil Rountree Jr. fight for UFC gold again someday?
Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway did a heated virtual face-to-face interview ahead of their highly anticipated featherweight championship main event of UFC 308 later this month.
UFC play-by-play announced Brendan Fitzgerald served as the mediator for the two headliners for the Oct. 26 pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi. Topuria captured the title with a sensational knockout of longtime champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February. “El Matador predicts a similar fate for Holloway.
“You will be lights out for the first time,” Topuria told Holloway via ESPN MMA. “Trust me. You’ll become an instant fan. An instant fan you will become.
“And you already know how feels when you have to bounce back. You already have seven professional defeats. I have zero. So you’re going to do it once again, really well. I don’t have any doubts about that. You are a great example of that.”
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Holloway spent a lot of time laughing at Topuria’s confidence, and as the current BMF champion following his knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April, “Blessed” had his own promise for Topuria.
“I took a lot of people’s donuts, bro,” Holloway responded. “I hope you like churros, because you’re about to get on Oct. 26, buddy.”
Topuria’s overwhelming confidence heading into his fight with Volkanovski became one of the biggest storylines for UFC 298. The undefeated steamroller delivered on his promise of stopping Volkanovski and bringing UFC gold back to Spain.
The confidence hasn’t wavered for Topuria, as he called Holloway “old,” and plans to put Holloway in the same place he put his previous opponent.
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“I already opened a home for old people,” Topuria said. “Volk already has his room, I have another one for you. So I’m going to put you right there after Oct. 26.”
One thing Topuria said that got Holloway’s attention was that the former featherweight champ was “forced” to take the fight with him. Holloway took exception to that, telling Topuria he was the first name he brought up to the UFC brass.
“You were the first guy I asked for,” Holloway said. “I wanted the easiest fight. I want Ilia Topuria. That’s what I said.”
Topuria and Holloway are ready to go for their blockbuster battle for featherweight gold. The current champion doubled down on his promise to stop Holloway, and hopes that the BMF champ shows up in Abu Dhabi.
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“Oct. 26, the only thing I’m going to do is take your lights out, and then party with all my people, with all of my team,” Topuria said. “That’s what I’m going to do. And still. … I don’t have any doubts that I will be the first to knock you out, and I don’t even want you to trust in that, because if you’re starting to trust in what I’m saying, you’re not going to show up. And I need you to show up [for] the fight.”
“I’ll show up, bro, I show up every single time,” Holloway said. “You’ve been a fan for a long time, I show up every single damn time.”
England and Greece players will wear black armbands and hold a period of silence in tribute to George Baldock before Thursday night’s Nations League fixture at Wembley.
The England-born Greece international drowned in a swimming pool at his home in Glyfada, southern Athens, on Wednesday night.
Baldock, who joined Greek side Panathinaikos last summer after seven years with Sheffield United, was capped 12 times by Greece.
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Sources inside the Greece camp told BBC Sport that the players are “devastated” by Baldock’s sudden death.
Greece sources told the BBC that the Greek FA asked about a possible postponement of Thursday’s game, which kicks off at 19:45 BST, but were told by Uefa that there was no room in the busy calendar.
BBC Sport has approached Uefa for comment.
In a joint statement, the Greece players said: “It is impossible to believe that our dear friend and team-mate, George, is no longer with us. Our pain is indescribable.
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“Tonight, we will try to reach the strength of his soul, which is a bright example for us all. Our thoughts are with his family. We will never forget you friend.”
Greece sources said the team found out about their team-mate’s death when returning from training at Wembley on Wednesday night and had “barely slept”.
Many of the players were good friends with Baldock, including Greece captain Anastasios Bakasetas, who also plays for Panathinaikos.
Baldock’s body was found at 22:30 local time (20:30 BST) on Wednesday.
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A police spokesperson said there was no evidence of criminal activity.
Toxicology test results are expected in the coming days while police will also examine CCTV footage.
Baldock started his career at MK Dons in 2009 and played more than 100 times for them.
He had loan spells with several clubs including Northampton and Oxford United, before joining Sheffield United in 2017.
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He made 219 appearances in all competitions for the club, helping them to promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and again in 2023.
Baldock was born in Buckingham but qualified for Greece through his maternal grandmother and was called up for the first time by manager Gus Poyet in May 2022.
He made his debut for the country the following month in a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in Belfast.
Paul thinks Rountree exposed Pereira in that fight.
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”One thousand percent I would beat him,” Paul told Adin Ross on boxing Pereira. “That’s the thing is, Rountree actually kind of exposed that he doesn’t have a high volume output. He doesn’t like body shots. In MMA, Pereira would rip my head off. But boxing is a completely different sport, and the pace of it, and the style of it.”
Paul (10-1) takes on 58-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson (50-6-2) on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. With Pereira currently under UFC contract, a fight with Paul is highly unlikely.
”He has holes,” Paul said. “I mean, Rountree rocked him, hurt him a couple of times to the body, but didn’t follow up on it. So if anything, this fight showed me, yes, Alex Pereira is great. But I know I would beat him in a boxing match, and I still would love to make that happen. Pressure is on him. If he can find his way out of the UFC contract like Nate Diaz did, then eventually him and I can talk.”
Pereira, a former two-weight division Glory Kickboxing champion, boxed once professionally – a TKO win over Marcelo de Souza Cruz 2017 in Brazil.
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Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion told MMA Fighting in November 2023 that he was “very comfortable where I’m at right now” as MMA coach and retired fighter, but being around so many great athletes — and sharing the mat with the likes of UFC champion Alex Pereira on a daily basis — has him once again eager for competition.
“There’s nothing [booked], but I’ll definitely go back to competition,” Teixeira said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “I keep going after challenges. It’s hard to stay [training] with no reason why, so I’ll definitely do something. I want to compete.”
Teixeira retired from the sport in January of 2023 after losing back to back UFC title fights to Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill, and won a grappling match against Anthony Smith in June of 2023.
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There were discussions of maybe returning to the mat earlier this year against Rafael Lovato Jr., at one of the UFC Fight Pass Invitational grappling shows, but that didn’t materialize.
Teixeira was crucial part of three Pereira training camps this year for successful title defenses against Hill, Prochazka and most recently Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, and the Brazilian veteran, who turns 45 lates this month, is open to offers in multiple sports — even the UFC.
“I’ll do some jiu-jitsu, I wanna do… I don’t know, maybe boxing. Or even go back for some fights in the UFC,” Teixeira said. “That’s got to be it because it’s hard, man. I’m feeling great, fighting hard with the guys in the gym. I’ve rolled with some wrestlers, training with Sean Strickland and ‘Poatan’. I was doing some light sparring with ‘Poatan’ the other day, and he’s like, ‘F*ck, Glover, you have to come back!’
“I’m training well, I’m feeling well. I love this. I’m not saying I want to fight, but I want to compete. If it’s jiu-jitsu, Lovato, guys like that. I wanna do some matches, that’s for sure.”
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Teixeira fought professionally 42 times between 2002 and 2023, racking up a record of 33-9 with key UFC wins over the likes of Jan Blachowicz, Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Anthony Smith and Jared Cannonier. Teixeira came up short in his first UFC title fight in 2014, losing a decision to Jon Jones, before finally conquering gold seven years later to become the oldest first-time champion in promotion history at age 42.
The UFC opens its September schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 244, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there in “Sin City” to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
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UFC Fight Night 244 broadcast
UFC Apex
The entire UFC Fight Night 244 card streams on ESPN+ in the U.S.
The main card lineup is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET following prelims slated to start at 4 p.m. ET.
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UFC Fight Night 244 desk analysts
Michael Chiesa
Veteran broadcaster Dan Hellie serves as desk anchor and host at UFC Fight Night 244.
“The Ultimate Fighter 15′ winner Michael Chiesa and retired welterweight veteran Alan Jouban join him as analysts at the desk.
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UFC Fight Night 244 roving reporter
Karyn Bryant
Karyn Bryant is on assignment to conduct pre- and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC Fight Night 244 card. She also will provide reports with real-time updates for the event.
UFC Fight Night 244 octagon announcer
Joe Martinez
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Noted octagon announcer Joe Martinez will introduce the fighters before battle at UFC Fight Night 244.
UFC Fight Night 244 cageside commentators
Brendan Fitzgerald, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping
Brendan Fitzgerald will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC Fight Night 244.
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He’ll command play-by-play and be joined in the booth by retired former middleweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, as well as former UFC/WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
Gabriel Holt, aka Andrew from Jamie Johnson FC, had the honour of filming a scene with legendary England captain Leah Williamson in the brand new season of the programme.
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