#8 ranked light-heavyweight fighter Khalil Rountree Jr. put on a show for the fans in the recently concluded UFC 307 event. He took on one of the toughest fighters in the division and the champion, Alex Pereira. ‘The War Horse’ started off the fight on a positive note and landed some brutal shots in the opening rounds. However, the Brazilian used employed all the moves from his arsenal and finally won the fight in the fourth round.

Rountree Jr. suffered severe damage during the fight, which was pretty evident during the post-fight interview. The 34-year-old has undergone surgery and finally opened up on the kind of problems he faced in the process.

Khalil Rountree Jr. opens up on the injuries he faced after his UFC 307 fight

When Khalil Rountree Jr. walked into the Octagon at UFC 307, many predicted that he would dethrone Pereira. After all ‘The War Horse’ was unbeaten in his last five fights, four out of which came via knockout. He did manage to put ‘Poatan’ in trouble, and the champion had to dig deep to come out on top. During the process, Rountree Jr. took some damage from the constant leg kicks and jabs from the Brazilian. During his post-fight interview, Rountree Jr. had to cover his nose to stop the blood flow, hinting at the power of ‘Poatan’.

Pereira is one of the hardest strikers in the division, and his left hook is second to none. Pictures of a bruised Rountree Jr. went viral on social media after his fight was over. The impact of the punches was so hard that UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier shared a photo of Rountree’s blood that had leaked onto his phone while he was outside the Octagon. However, with weeks gone by, Rountree Jr. is slowly recovering from the damages.

Red Corner MMA shared the video on their Instagram page, where Rountree Jr. said, “Did some damage to my nose. So  I had my septum replaced because it was crooked like a letter ‘C’ and I couldn’t breathe. So, no other injuries. I mean, everything else seems good: my hands, my legs. Yeah, people mentioned that maybe the calf kicks were damaging me. I’ve dealt with calf kicks before, and my leg is totally fine. There’s no swelling no bruising on my calf. Everything was just like the cuts on the nose. The nose was the worst thing.”

After the fight, ‘The War Horse’ was in awe of Alex Pereira’s impressive skills. For the first time, the 34-year-old seemed like a normal fighter as Pereira landed some brutal shots in the later rounds. Rountree Jr. recently sat down for a chat with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo and shared his experience of fighting against one of the best in the business.

Khalil Rountree Jr. was surprised by the skill level of Alex Pereira and his striking

There are very few fighters in the UFC who have been as dominant as Alex Pereira in recent times. The Brazilian has now defended his title thrice in 2024 and knocked out all his opponents. His latest victim, Khalil Rountree Jr. sat down for a chat on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast and analyzed his outing with the undisputed champion. People who watched the fight would agree to the fact that the challenger was gassing out as the fight progressed. While altitude could have been a big factor, ‘The War Horse’ pointed out that it was more because of the punches of the champion.

While speaking on the podcast, he added, “Like I said, I felt like I was prepared. I didn’t feel my cardio decreasing until he started landing punches. I think that is what really took it out of me cause when he turned up the pressure, and when he started landing on me, every time a punch landed I just felt like my energy zapping, and like every round he came out fresh and I didn’t expect him to come out with more pressure every round that he did. And I think that was like the biggest surprise for me.” 

Alex Pereira indeed surprised everyone and proved to the world that he is more than just a lethal striker. Currently, the champion is hoping to take a break from the sport after a busy 2024.  There is no announcement for his next fight, but the fans would love to see him in action again. Who do you think Alex Pereira should face next in his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.