Khalil Rountree Jr. knows exactly what he should have done to defeat Alex Pereira at UFC 307. ‘The War Horse’ came up short after being the initial aggressor and putting ‘Poatan’ under all types of pressure. Despite getting the judges’ nod in the opening rounds, the American got battered going forward, eventually getting knocked out in the fourth.

And the regret he has is that he really should have been more aggressive. Specifically when ‘Poatan’ was against the cage. The title contender was personally messaged by Conor McGregor about this very fact, which ‘The War Horse’ completely agreed with.

“I think that I would have gone forward a little bit more, you know… I did get it, it was nice, like a couple of days after the fight I got some messages from Conor. It was cool to get you know to get some messages from him. But one thing that he pointed out was that I could have put more pressure like when he was going up against the cage,” Rountree said on the ‘Pound 4 Pound Podcast’.

He has that left hook but if I had been just a little bit more relentless with my pressure, and not backed off so much and retook the center of the cage, I think I would have been able to apply a little bit more damage to him. So I think like if I were to go back and replay this fight, I’d probably just be a little bit more aggressive, like smart aggressive,” he further added.

Indeed, especially in the first two rounds, ‘Poatan’ having enough space to back up from Rountree Jr’s flurries saved the champ on many occasions. If, however, ‘The War Horse’ had put ‘Poatan’ against the cage with no escape or chance to lean back, he might well have landed one or two good shots. And given the bad intentions Rountree Jr. throws his shots with, that may just have been enough. However, to put this plan into action, he would have to wait until a potential rematch with the Brazilian.

Will Khalil Rountree Jr. and Alex Pereira ever fight again?

Of course, some would say that McGregor’s tip is meaningless after the fight. There is, after all, no way ‘The War Horse’ could change anything about that fight now. But, there is, of course, the distinct and very real possibility of a rematch between the two. Not an immediate one by any means, but sometime down the line, which is quite possible

Going into UFC 307, ‘The War Horse’ was ranked #8 in the division. This means that if he could get into the top five of the division, he would almost certainly get another title shot. This seems natural, especially after his valiant performance against Pereira last weekend. It has gained him the respect of not the entire MMA community. Interestingly, it also included the biggest men in the sport like Conor McGregor and Dana White.

The only question is if Pereira will still be champ by the time Rountree Jr. is in a position to fight for the 205-pound crown again. The American has certainly learned from his mistakes and knows what needs to be done in the rematch. What are your thoughts on Conor McGregor’s advice to Khalil Rountree Jr. after UFC 307?