The world of mixed martial arts was left with eyes wide open when the light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira punched his way to victory against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. Even though Rountree gave a pretty tough competition to ‘Poatan’, he got his face bashed in, followed by a KO via uppercut. Needless to say, ‘The War Horse’ had a lot of regret for the defeat. But it was the feeling of satisfaction that he felt the most. 

Not too long ago, Fight Energy Film interviewed the light heavyweight prospect. Therein, Rountree revealed some facts that no one expected him to say. He said, “So, in the locker room, I was very relaxed to a point where I asked my coach like, ‘I’m very relaxed. Is that okay?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah. It’s perfect.’” Usually, such calm comes because of confidence. However, there’s more to it than just confidence. It was a sense of belonging and comfort around the Octagon that probably made Rountree feel the way he did.

‘The War Horse’ continued, “When I was in the cage and he was walking out, the only thing I can really remember is just being happy. Even the moment when I got finished in the fourth round, I just felt so happy throughout that whole fight. It felt like I was where I belong. Like I felt like I belonged there. It was really like living in a dream.” 

But there was a way through which Rountree could have managed to secure a win against the man with the hands of stone. And it was exactly what Joe Rogan had advised him to do. But alas! The heat of the battle sometimes makes fighters forget about their own strengths. And all that the Californian fighter felt later was regret. 

Khalil Rountree Jr. has one regret regarding his fight with Alex Pereira

As the conversation with Fight Energy Films continued, Khalil Rountree Jr. revealed his regret. And it was all about not using enough kicks against Alex Pereira. He said, “The biggest takeaway from now in the rest of my fighting career [is that] I’m gonna kick more. I was so mad that I didn’t throw as many kicks as I wanted to… and even watching it over again, and hearing Joe Rogan say like, ‘Oh, Khalil usually kicks more,’ and I was like, ‘F–k…Ah!’ [moans in regret].”

‘Poatan’ had a habit of keeping his guard down and inviting his opponents to go in for a strike. But that’s a trap! As soon as his opponents came close to him, the Brazilian executed his left hook, bringing them down. ‘The War Horse’ was well aware of the damage his kicks did. But there was a reason why he didn’t rely too much on his kicks. Because of Pereira’s intimidating size, Rountree felt like he had to keep his feet grounded. After all, he simply couldn’t afford to be put off balance. 

Nevertheless, Rountree was grateful to Pereira for the chance. This was a fight that helped the #7 light heavyweight contender show the world that he was ready to take on the champion. He went on to praise Pereira’s skills. No wonder he was the champion. Despite the unfortunate loss, all the 34-year-old had for his opponent was respect. 

Do you think it was normal for Rountree to feel relaxed right before a championship fight? Let us know what you think of the match in the comments down below.