UFC 307 is just a few weeks away, and the event’s buzz is surreal. Two of the most elite strikers in the division, Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr., are set to battle it out in a five-round fight for the title. Pereira currently remains unbeaten in his last four fights with two title defense fights under his belt. However, he is not taking things lightly, even roping in Sean Strickland to help him train for the fight. Adding an interesting layer to this ordeal is Tarzan’s history with the challenger.

Strickland is one of those rare fighters who criticized Rountree Jr. for showing his emotional side in 2022. He then went on to call him the easiest spar during a wrestling practice, which sparked a reaction from the 34-year-old. Let us take a closer look at the entire incident, and notably all accounts came from the horse’s mouth.

Sean Strickland shares how his rivalry began with Khalil Rountree Jr.

34-year-old Khalil Rountree Jr. is a man who is currently dominating his opponents inside the Octagon. Unbeaten in his last five fights, ‘The War Horse’ might just be the toughest challenge for Pereira to date. However, there was once a time in his career when even he faced the wrath of former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, well known for his history of getting into verbal battles with UFC fighters.

Many feel that the 34-year-old is better than Alex Pereira in terms of his wrestling skills. However, Strickland clarified that this was not exactly the case while citing an incident with the fans. He pointed out why exactly his rivalry with the challenger began- a call out towards the 34-year-old in front of a class of people after inviting him to a wrestling match.

While all this was done just to motivate him to perform better, Rountree Jr. didn’t quite like it. While speaking to ‘The Schmo,’ Strickland said, “So let me tell you another story about Khalil Rountree Jr. m..fr. You guys don’t know this. Khalil and I have some history. So I try to be friend this little beta male. I try to be his friend, you know. So I say, Khalil, I don’t really wanna do this, but I’m going to invite you to wrestling. And I invite him to wrestling. I try to pump everybody up, and I say, hey, listen, guys, if I see you guys going Khalil, I know you guys picked the easiest round on here. You know what this little b..ch did? Put his head down walked off the mat and said Sean I don’t like you and I don’t respect you.” 

Well, the 34-year-old will be more focused on winning the title next rather than settling his differences with Strickland. ‘The War Horse’ is pretty aware that this is, without a doubt, one of the biggest fights of his career. Surprisingly, many experts feel that he has the ability to end the winning run of the champion, Chael Sonnen being one.

Chael Sonnen backs Khalil Rountree Jr. for his fight against Alex Pereira

Since the time the fight has been announced, experts from around the world have started predicting the outcome. While the fans are upset and feel Pereira has an easy opponent in hand, this might not just be the case. #8 ranked light-heavyweight fighter Khalil Rountree Jr. is definitely not a pushover and might just cause an upset at UFC 307. Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen recently took to his YouTube channel to share his insights on the same.

Sonnen feels that the Brazilian’s fighting style might just make him vulnerable against the challenger. He said, “Rountree is not his best until someone’s coming after him, and that’s exactly the way Pereira fights.” ‘The American Gangster’ further made a prediction and said, …my own partner DraftKings, 4 to 1, favoring the guy that I’m telling you isn’t only going to lose, he’s going to get knocked out.” 

And Sonnen is not the only one who has picked Rountree Jr. as the favorite for the battle. Many like Poatan’s ex-opponent Anthony Smith, and Michael Bisping have also picked the challenger as the man who could give Pereira a run for his money. However, the Brazilian’s power is a threat, and looking at his recent run, ruling him out completely might just backfire for Rountree Jr. Especially when the challenger’s head coach John Wood believes that the Brazillian will be the one to ‘break game’ first and attempt a takedown first.

Will we see a new light-heavyweight champion at UFC 307? Or will Alex Pereira defend his title for the third time in 2024? Let us know your picks in the comments below.