Khalil Rountree Jr. didn’t come away with the win in his attempt at becoming light heavyweight champion at UFC 307 but he still walked away with some valuable lessons.

That’s the message Rountree relayed in his first statement after falling to Alex Pereira via fourth round knockout to cap off the latest pay-per-view card from Salt Lake City. Despite a valiant effort to pull off the upset, Rountree came up short but still showed a ton of heart while battling it out with one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in sport.

“I didn’t win the title but I grew last night,” Rountree wrote on Instagram. “Alex Pereira, thanks for helping me see that I’m ready to take on the world. You showed amazing skill, you brought out a version of me that I needed to experience. You’re the champ for a reason, much respect. But I now know what I am capable of.”

While he wasn’t necessarily considered the No. 1 contender when he got the fight, Rountree certainly made the most of the opportunity.

He came out guns blazing as soon as the fight started and attempted to take Pereira’s head off in almost every exchange. Unfortunately as time passed, Rountree started to run out of gas and Pereira took over.

By the time the fourth round was nearing an end, Pereira had busted up Rountree so badly that he had blood just pouring down his face and chest. The final sequence saw Pereira deliver a pair of vicious punches to the body before one last uppercut that dropped Rountree to the canvas.

The referee immediately swooped in to stop the fight before Rountree took any further damage.

Thanks to several gnarly cuts that he suffered during the fight, Rountree was immediately taken to a local hospital for treatment so outside of his post-fight interview, he didn’t get a chance to address his performance until Sunday.

“Brazil, you guys have a strong champion, be proud,” Rountree said. “I will take time to heal from this, I’ll be back even better, it’s inevitable. I’m grateful. Never give up on yourself, always fight hard, uplift your communities and find ways to make the most out of life.”

Even in defeat, Rountree raised his stock with that kind of fight and it’s tough to imagine he won’t have another big opportunity awaiting him when he competes again.

SALT LAKE CITY – Kayla Harrison continues to tick the boxes of new experiences in combat sports.

A little past six years into her MMA career, which has included just one loss, Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) got to see her own blood for the first time in a fight. Ketlen Vieira (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) was the opponent from whom it was courtesy of.

That doesn’t mean Harrison was in trouble against the Brazilian in their women’s bantamweight fight to open the UFC 307 pay-per-view main card at Delta Center on Saturday. She mostly rolled to a unanimous decision, including a pair of 30-27 scores. But the blood thing was new.

“That threw me, I’m not going to lie to you,” Harrison told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “Nineteen fights in, I’ve never seen my own blood in the cage. But it feels good.”

Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, was in just her second UFC fight. She came to the promotion earlier this year after spending her full MMA career in the PFL, where she won two $1 million season titles.

She said she thinks being tested a bit by Vieira, whom she said she thought could beat UFC 307 co-headliners Julianna Peña or Raquel Pennington, might be the push she needs.

“I feel like I’m going to grow from this tonight,” Harrison said. “It’s a really good learning opportunity for me, and tomorrow, we’re going to go back to the house, rewatch the fight and dissect it. Tomorrow’s a new day – lots of room for improvement for me.”

In the co-feature, Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) upset Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) to win the 135-pound title back about two years after she lost it to Amanda Nunes.

And though Harrison’s fight with Vieira was presumed to be a top contenders bout, Peña said at her post-fight press conference she hopes Nunes comes out of retirement to fight her a third time. The two are 1-1 against each other.

Naturally, Harrison might find the timing for that to be odd. She wants a title shot against new two-time champ Peña, but if she has to keep fighting instead, she will.

“I think that there are athletes, there are performers and there are fighters, and sometimes you’ve got to be able to dig deep. That’s what a fighter does,” Harrison said. “… Fighters fight. When you’re the best in the world, you’re the best in the world. It doesn’t matter (who I fight). I’m the uncrowned queen. If I have the belt, if I don’t have the belt, I’m still the best in the world. I’d fight – I don’t care who it is. Fill in the blank. I mean that when I say it. I don’t think that there’s anybody in the world that will beat me right now.”

And that, she hopes is the X factor to become a champion in the UFC.

“I’ve done some pretty amazing things in my career. I want this to be another really big one,” Harrison said. “I know that I don’t have forever left as an athlete, so I want to make the most of it while I can. I’ve got a long list sh*t I want to do in the UFC, so let’s get that title.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Stephen Thompson was having success on the feet against Joaquin Buckley, looking to get back on track after losing three of his past four at Saturday night’s UFC 307, but Buckley has the last laugh with a monster right hook that knocked him unconscious midway through rounds three in Salt Lake City (watch the finish).

Now down to 1-4 since 2021 — and 4-7-1 since challenging for UFC gold in 2016 —, “Wonderboy” took on social media to thanks the support of fans. In good spirits, the 41-year-old veteran also joked about not remembering how he got back to the hotel after such a vicious knockout.

Check the video below.

“Not much to say other than I sincerely appreciate all of the love and support I felt from the fans tonight and always the love you’ve shown me really fills my heart,” Thompson wrote on the post. “The roar of the crowd as I walked out to the cage and my name was announced is something I’ll cherish forever. I’m sorry I didn’t get it done tonight. Much love to you all and much love to SLC.”

Northern Ireland international Corry Evans has signed a short-term deal with League Two side Bradford City until January.

Evans, who has won 72 caps for his country, has been a free agent since leaving Championship side Sunderland in the summer.

He made 67 appearances and captained the Black Cats in his three seasons at the club.

The 34-year-old previously had spells at Manchester United, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers, who he played for more than 200 times.

Bradford are 14th in League Two and their manager Graham Alexander was delighted to be able secure Evans’ signature.

“We’re bringing Corry in on a short-term deal to help us with his experience and quality,” Alexander told the club’s website.

“He’s another option in the midfield that can compliment the personnel we already have in there.”

The midfielder also expressed his excitement to join the club.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to join Bradford City. It’s a massive club with a passionate fanbase, and I can’t wait to get started.”