“That’s just not my style,” Khalil Rountree Jr. had declared to Michael Bisping ahead of his 205lbs title bout against Alex Pereira at UFC 307. He had the chance to make history, but ‘The War Horse’ did not want to wrestle ‘Poatan’ to the ground. Even before the bout, Rountree Jr. had a takedown average of exactly 0 so when he said that he wouldn’t rely on grappling, it wasn’t a lie. He eventually lost to the Brazilian after running out of gas, and Pereira knocked him out while busting him up pretty badly. After the bout, the official Mark Goddard told Joe Rogan that he hadn’t heard any more “ungodly” shots than what Pereira delivered that night. Scary stuff!

“Brazil, you guys have a strong champion, be proud,” Rountree said after the fight. This decision to avoid wrestling Pereira weighed heavily on Rountree, but it wasn’t the first time he suffered a KO loss. For the unversed, his first ever came brutally at the hands of Johnny Walker back in 2018. Ironically, it is Walker himself who criticized Rountree Jr. for not “shooting” Pereira down.

When asked by Quinton Jackson on the latter’s JAXXON podcast if the light heavyweight star was surprised by Rountree Jr. not taking Pereira down, he stated, “Yeah, bro, one little shoot, you know a little shoot. Bro, you know after you shoot a guy, they take a lot of power to stand up. If you’re a guy who has good control. You spend a lot of energy. Once you stand up, you don’t have the same percentage as you did at the fight’s beginning, right?”

But this is not what Rountree Jr. did in the fight. As mentioned before, he had refused to wrestle Pereira and made his intentions clear to Bisping, saying, “The main thing I was trying to say is that I’ve worked myself hard enough to get to this point. It would not make sense to switch who I am as a fighter, to completely switch the game plan to secure the win.”

Rountree was determined to stay true to his style, choosing not to attempt a takedown and prioritizing fan entertainment over a safer game plan. And to his delight, it seemed to work as he was ahead on the judge’s scorecards for the first two rounds. However, the Brazilian took over in the later rounds and finished the scrap in the fourth round.

Despite the tough loss, Rountree Jr. handled the outcome with grace, openly acknowledging his opponent’s prowess. Interestingly, even Pereira admitted afterward that Rountree Jr. gave him a hard time during the fight. Let’s see what the former champ had to say!

Alex Pereira admits that Khalil Rountree Jr. gave him a difficult time at UFC 307

The UFC 307 showdown between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr. was nothing short of electrifying. The fight ended dramatically as the Brazilian secured the victory by brutally battering his opponent in the fourth. Yet, despite the loss, ‘The War Horse’ proved to be one of Pereira’s toughest challenges to date, putting relentless pressure on the former 205lbs champion and even putting him in trouble with a powerful strike at one point in the fight.

Ahead of his title fight against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, Pereira reflected on his grueling war with Rountree Jr. in the UFC 313 Countdown video. He stated, “I was moving around well at the beginning of the fight. He’s a southpaw, so I had to feel out the fight. I thought, ‘Man, this guy won’t go down.’ I was landing some really heavy shots — my hand was hurting.'”

Well, even before his latest outing, Pereira heaped praise on ‘The War Horse’ as he joined Rampage Jackson on his podcast back in January 2025. He stated,“[Rountree Jr.] as a striker, very experienced, very strong, very technical. Had some hard times in that fight, some danger in that fight. Putting aside all the situation that happened with me before, it was really a hard fight for me. The strong key for me was the mindset. I have a strong mindset because [the] fourth round came and I was hitting the guy hard and he’s not falling. He has a lot of heart.”

Even after the setback, Rountree remained optimistic about his fighting style, confident in his decision to stand and trade rather than wrestle. Now that Pereira, too, has tasted defeat after losing his belt to Ankalaev, questions arise about what lies ahead for both warriors. What are your views on Johnny Walker’s comments on Khalil Rountree Jr.? Let us know in the comment section below!