It seems being suspended for doping has worked out well for Khalil Rountree Jr. The #8 ranked 205-pounder accidentally ingested a PED earlier this year, and admitted it to the authorities despite not having failed any tests. Since he had not taken the banned substance knowingly or with intent to cheat, he was handed a light suspension, which forced him to pull out of a scheduled UFC 303 fight in June.

This is why it came as such a shock to the UFC world when Dana White announced that ‘The War Horse’ will fight Alex Pereira in his first fight after the suspension! While fans may feel Rountree is not the most deserving to fight for the 205-pound gold, there is at least one thing that the fans will have to look forward to in his UFC 307 title bout with ‘Poatan’.

Khalil Rountree Jr. tells Joe Rogan he has a new move

MMA is not that old. Around thirty years since UFC 1, which was essentially a contest between different martial arts to prove once and for all which was the best, MMA as a proper, distinct sport has existed for less than time. And given all the variables in the sport because of its hybrid nature, there is always room for innovation. But there hasn’t been anything new in the MMA of late.

Khalil Rountree Jr., however, is determined to change this. The light heavyweight has promised Joe Rogan that he will pull off an ‘unheard and unseen’ move in his next fight. “After we’re done with this I’m going to show you this sick sweep thing that I’m working on. It’s like it’s really cool, I’m going to show it to you and then when you see me do it in a fight you’ll be like holy sh–,” Rountree said on episode #161 of the JRE MMA Show.

“It’s unseen, unheard of and it’s a mixture of like what I’ve learned. Like some Muay Thai concepts and like mixed with what I’ve been learning in my Jiu-Jitsu… So like in my off time and in my stretching and just my artistic mind I was like how do I blend these two together,” he added.

While Rogan got a sneak peek of the move off-camera, fans will have to wait for the UFC 307 main event to see it. It seems the move is best described as a hybrid since ‘The War Horse’ has said it combines Muay Thai principles with his BJJ training. A sweep, of course, means it must be some variant of a leg sweep, used to trip one’s opponent. But since it also has elements of grappling, it may be a sweep that transitions seamlessly into a takedown and possibly puts Rountree on top.

It might be something completely different, nothing could be said for certain until ‘War Horse’ pulls it off. And what better stage to pull out a new move and make it memorable than in a title fight with Alex Pereira, the biggest active star in the promotion? And while most expect ‘Poatan’ to defend his title at their UFC 307 clash, one man has made a bold and polarizing prediction for their fight.

Chael Sonnen predicts Rountree will knock out Pereira

The bookmakers are unanimous in their prediction- Alex Pereira will win and remain the light heavyweight champion. After all, Rountree is a striker like ‘Poatan’, who is a former kickboxing champion and won his two UFC titles against a sniper like Israel Adesanya, and a brawler like Jiri Prochazka.

Chael Sonnen, however, thinks that ‘The War Horse’ will “walk through” Pereira. Why? Well, because Sonnen thinks Rountree excels under pressure from elite strikers. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, ‘Uncle Chael’ felt that for once, a striker had an advantage in a matchup against Pereira. So favorable in fact, that Sonnen sees a knockout.

“He [Rountree] does his absolute best work when he’s being attacked by a kickboxer. It’s not Khalil swarming somebody or taking them down or submitting them. He is a counter fighter, and he loves when you punch or kick at him first,” he said.

Sonnen feels this matchup proves that the UFC isn’t trying to ‘protect’ Pereira, its biggest cash cow at the moment, by giving him another striker to face. But that is not a view shared by most fans or the bookmakers. However, Sonnen has given a case for those rooting for Rountree to win. What are your predictions for Pereira-Rountree? Let us know in the comments below.