Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira maintained his position as one of the most feared strikers in the UFC, as he defended his title against a bloodied and battered Khalil Rountree in the UFC 307. However, after Saturday night’s performance, ‘The War Horse’ seems to have earned respect from former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. 

‘Poatan’ survived a massive scare in the second round when Rountree landed a swift right-hand counter, but quickly turned the tides to end the fight via uppercut in the fourth round of their fight in Salt Lake City on Saturday. Meanwhile, ‘The Gypsy King’ took to social media to express his thoughts about the fight. But, spoiler alert, his praise quickly backfired on him when fans discovered it. 

Tyson Fury doesn’t play in the fight game

Earlier today, talkSport editor Michael Benson took to X to share Tyson Fury’s Instagram story with his followers. Benson posted, “Tyson Fury on Instagram today reacting to Khalil Rountree’s face after his UFC light-heavyweight title fight defeat to Alex Pereira: ‘We don’t play in the fight game.’”

Fury had shared a close-up of Rountree’s battered face—a sight that anyone who watched the fight live on Saturday would remember. With cuts above his left eye and between his nose, along with blood streaming from his nostrils, Rountree’s appearance told the brutal story of the fight. Pereira’s knockout victory not only earned him the win but also set a new record.

He now holds the title for the shortest period between three consecutive defenses, a record previously held by UFC legend Ronda Rousey. Regardless, despite Fury’s praise for Rountree’s toughness and resilience, fans online weren’t impressed, quickly flooding the comment section with criticism.

Fans don’t think Fury can play

Fury might have a huge following in the boxing community, but in the MMA world, people straight up started roasting the former world champion. One user didn’t mince his words in expressing the same. “I mean Khalil’s a fighter. Tyson’s a boxer,” the user wrote. However, in 2019, even the ‘The Gypsy King’ overcame a massive cut over his eye to defeat Otto Wallin. 

The next user took Fury’s criticism to the next level. “Khalil would murder Fury,” the user commented. Well, that would depend upon which ring they are in—because boxing has not worked for most MMA guys.

Meanwhile, this user simply branded Tyson Fury a “duck” for avoiding tough challenges. “Tyson Fury ducks the fight game 🔥,” the user wrote. However, Fury’s resume is filled with several heavy hitters—from Wladimir Klitschko to Oleksandr Usyk.

Suddenly, this user roped in Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney. The user remarked, “This what tank face would look like if he fought Haney!!” The duo have been at odds with each other for quite a while now, and often exchange barbs online. 

While Fury was getting his name dragged through the mud, one user decided to praise Rountree’s efforts during the fight. “What a warrior bro kept on fighting till the end and had a strong start he definitely won fans last night,” the user wrote. It takes two to tango in the octagon, as they say. 

It appears that despite his fame in boxing, Tyson Fury isn’t very liked in the MMA community, which is evident from the comments in this post. Regardless, the main question is, what did you think about the fight on Saturday night?