Khalil Rountree vs. Anthony Smith was an explosive co-main event at UFC Vegas 83. The fighters went head-to-head in a three-round light heavyweight bout but in the end, Rountree emerged victorious and he had a big name to remember.

The light heavyweight division is rather ripe with a brand new champion in Alex Pereira. Now that Rountree has secured a brilliant win over #8 ranked Anthony Smith, is it possible for him to jump to the championship battle right away? Here’s what he had to say after he took down Smith.

Khalil Rountree wants Alex Pereira’s belt after the UFC Vegas 83 win

In a vicious three-round battle at UFC Vegas 83, Rountree managed to knock out Smith in the third. After landing a brilliant punch combo, Smith toppled and fell to the mat. Rountree Jr., himself showed great restraint by not following up with a ground and pound attack right after. Instead, he waited for the ref to call it off which followed a few seconds later.

The post fight interview saw an ambitious call-out. “In my mind I feel like it’s time to have a champion at home. I feel it’s time to fight Alex Pereira,” Rountree said. “That’s a fight fans would want to see.” The fighter is certain that him and Pereira would be able to put up a huge show. So let’s consider it.

Both Rountree and Pereira are huge stand-up fighters. Pereira’s calf kicks are infamous for toppling the best out there and Rountree has won all five of his last matches including today’s win. He won wit his great striking prowess just like Pereira often does.

A matchup between the two would see the exchange of a lot of heavy blows both ways. However, for now, he may have to wait until he can take on the champ. The top three fighters may be better picks but a matchup for the title isn’t too far off for Rountree either if he keeps knocking people out the way he did Smith. So how did the match progress?

How the rounds went by

In the very first round, Rountree’s intense stamina was on full display. He was circling the cage and making Smith follow him in a guarded position. However, once blows started landing, the fast movement stopped. Smith’s pressure was rewarded with several hard punches in the very first round.

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However, Anthony Smith held fast and responded with great body kicks and several punches of his own. The second round made Smith a bit shaky after Rountree landed a big shot to his chin but it didn’t take him down. Still more body kicks from Smith followed. In the final round, however, a feint followed by a two-punch combo brought Smith to his knees. Did you follow the whole fight?

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