Khalil Rountree has promised his UFC 307 title bout against Alex Pereira will be a strike-fest. But former two-division champion Henry Cejudo thinks that is only one half of the ‘War Horse’s plan. The other half will be grappling, which is atypical of Rountree, who likes to outstrike his opponents and stop them on their feet.

“And I feel like there’s two ways of doing it [defeating Alex Pereira]- he [Rountree] throws the kitchen sink at him, finds that chin. Or he uses the grappling and is able to take him down. But I think personally he has two game plans in this fight, and I think it should rely on both,” Cejudo told co-host Kamaru Usman on their ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast.

On the other hand, not many are expecting Rountree to win. After all, ‘War Horse’ is ranked #8 and has at least one other higher-ranked light heavyweight (Magomed Ankalaev) who deserves a title shot first. But being the clear underdog is exactly what Rountree so dangerous, Cejudo thinks.

“He’s [Khalil Rountree’s] no slouch man. I mean, yeah, were we disappointed a little bit because you know Khalil could have gone through two or three more guys before getting into the title. But sometimes when you’re an underdog and you go out there you actually fight, you tend to take more risk. Like ‘Who gives a f–k if you lose,'” he added.

Either way, Rountree is certainly facing the best striker he has faced up to this point in his career on UFC 307. Pereira seemingly has a clear advantage so long as the fight remains on the feet. However, if as Cejudo thinks, Rountree decides to test Pereira’s ground game, he will probably have a clear advantage. After all, ‘Poatan’s grappling remains his weakest suit. But for now, it seems Rountree and his team want to give the fans what they want and keep the fight a striking first affair.

Khalil Rountree’s coach prepared for all of Alex Pereira’s tricks

Alex Pereira’s striking is as deceptive as it is deadly. The Brazilian champ might look unconventional—hands low, stance open—but those are the traps that lure his opponents right into the path of his devastating left hook. And let’s not forget the sheer knockout power “Poatan” carries in those hands. But Khalil Rountree’s coach, John Wood, isn’t fooled.

“One, the guy’s got hammers for hands. Two, I think he lulls people into that like, you know, ‘hey, I’m making mistakes’… That’s my job to make sure that we don’t fall into any of those traps,” Wood explained, well aware of Pereira’s tricks. “He wants to get you, you know, no, there’s reasons he’s doing that.”

Pereira may be the favorite, but Rountree is no pushover. The “War Horse” has a kickboxing pedigree of his own, and enough power to turn out anyone’s lights—Pereira included. In the chaos of a barroom brawl, which is exactly what Rountree wants to turn this fight into, one mistake, one perfectly timed strike, could be the difference between victory and defeat. Who do you think takes it—Pereira or Rountree?