Khalil Rountree Jr. didn’t come away with the win in his try at turning into gentle heavyweight champion at UFC 307 however he nonetheless walked away with some useful classes.
That’s the message Rountree relayed in his first assertion after falling to Alex Pereira through fourth spherical knockout to cap off the most recent pay-per-view card from Salt Lake Metropolis. Regardless of a valiant effort to drag off the upset, Rountree got here up brief however nonetheless confirmed a ton of coronary heart whereas battling it out with one of many prime pound-for-pound fighters in sport.
“I didn’t win the title however I grew final night time,” Rountree wrote on Instagram. “Alex Pereira, thanks for serving to me see that I’m able to tackle the world. You confirmed wonderful talent, you introduced out a model of me that I wanted to expertise. You’re the champ for a purpose, a lot respect. However I now know what I’m able to.”
Whereas he wasn’t essentially thought-about the No. 1 contender when he obtained the battle, Rountree actually made the many of the alternative.
He got here out weapons blazing as quickly because the battle began and tried to take Pereira’s head off in virtually each trade. Sadly as time handed, Rountree began to expire of gasoline and Pereira took over.
By the point the fourth spherical was nearing an finish, Pereira had busted up Rountree so badly that he had blood simply pouring down his face and chest. The ultimate sequence noticed Pereira ship a pair of vicious punches to the physique earlier than one final uppercut that dropped Rountree to the canvas.
The referee instantly swooped in to cease the battle earlier than Rountree took any additional harm.
Because of a number of gnarly cuts that he suffered in the course of the battle, Rountree was instantly taken to an area hospital for remedy so outdoors of his post-fight interview, he didn’t get an opportunity to deal with his efficiency till Sunday.
“Brazil, you guys have a powerful champion, be proud,” Rountree mentioned. “I’ll take time to heal from this, I’ll be again even higher, it’s inevitable. I’m grateful. By no means hand over on your self, all the time battle exhausting, uplift your communities and discover methods to take advantage of out of life.”
Even in defeat, Rountree raised his inventory with that form of battle and it’s robust to think about he gained’t have one other large alternative awaiting him when he competes once more.
