Khalil Rountree aiming to take Lightheavyweight crown from Periera
02/10/2024
Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-5, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) sets out to accomplish his dream of becoming UFC champion by dethroning Pereira in unforgettable fashion
No. 8 ranked UFC light heavyweight
10 wins via knockout
Seven first-round finishes
Currently on a five-fight win streak
02/10/2024
Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-5, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) sets out to accomplish his dream of becoming UFC champion by dethroning Pereira in unforgettable fashion
No. 8 ranked UFC light heavyweight
10 wins via knockout
Seven first-round finishes
Currently on a five-fight win streak
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Well, Khalil, how different does this fight week feel for you, or does it feel different?
00:10It doesn't feel too much different.
00:11I think the only thing that really feels different is being in a ballroom versus being at the
00:17Apex.
00:18What about fight week?
00:19Did it feel, I mean, fight camp, did that feel different for you?
00:22Did you do anything special?
00:25Yeah, special in different ways.
00:27I just think the energy of fight camp was a bit different.
00:31We finally got to start to prepare for a title fight.
00:36I think vibes were really high in training camp.
00:40A lot of smiles, a lot of good times, a lot of enjoying the preparation and, you know,
00:48just positivity, really.
00:50Talk to me about that moment you got the phone call.
00:57I was having one of the roughest days of my life.
01:04I was in the middle of some legal stuff, and my phone rang, and it was the UFC.
01:14And they're like, hey, how's your day going?
01:16I said, terrible.
01:18What's going on?
01:19And they're like, well, hope this makes your day a little bit better.
01:25They're going to be fighting Alex October 5th in Salt Lake City.
01:29And my day turned around within a matter of seconds.
01:34And yeah, it was just all smiles from that moment on.
01:39When you saw them calling, was it like a gut, like, oh no, what's wrong?
01:43Yeah, I was like, come on.
01:45You know, this is the last, you know, the last thing that I was expecting.
01:51Yeah, going through what I was going through, and it was, yeah, it was gut-wrenching.
01:57But it ended up being for the best, yeah.
01:59I know you've talked before about, you know, people online, what people say online, haters
02:04and that sort of thing.
02:05And obviously, there was some backlash after the announcement, but were you able to kind
02:08of spin it in a positive way?
02:10You know, almost like this is motivation, everyone's counting me out?
02:15Or did you not listen to it at all?
02:16I didn't pay attention.
02:17I have no, I got no space, I got no time for other people's opinions.
02:23I mean, like, look, I'm fighting for the title on Saturday.
02:27And as soon as I got the news, that was all that I've been focused on.
02:32So if it upsets people and this, like, it's none of my business, you know?
02:36My business is to do, you know, what the UFC called me to do.
02:41So everyone's going to have opinions even after this.
02:45But I can't let it be my concern.
02:47I know, you know, going back to you on the regional circuit and you fighting and just
02:52starting your career, I imagine you thought about this moment.
02:56Does it live up to the way you kind of imagined it all those years?
03:00I didn't expect it happening the way that it did, right?
03:02It's just, it's crazy how everything unfolded.
03:08I would say I'm just, I'm happy that I'm in the position that I'm in right now with this
03:16title fight coming up.
03:17What I mean is, like, I'm happy that I got this call and this opportunity, and I'm prepared
03:22for it.
03:23And I feel it.
03:24You know, like, it doesn't feel like a lucky thing.
03:26And I didn't have to, like, oh, scrounge and get ready.
03:28Like, I've been prepared for this.
03:30I've been saying it.
03:31I've been working for it.
03:32And now it's here.
03:33What do you expect in there?
03:36What do I expect in there?
03:37I expect to become the champion, 100%.
03:41How do you see yourself matching up against him?
03:42I know, obviously, you're going in with confidence, but what kind of fight are you expecting from
03:47him?
03:48Hmm.
03:49You know, it's really hard to say.
03:52I'm not expecting a certain type of fight, you know?
03:59I'm going in there focused.
04:00I'm going in there determined, aware, you know?
04:06A lot of this camp and a lot of my coaching and mentorship and stuff has really just been
04:13about me and focusing on me.
04:14I can't get lost in the lights of everything else.
04:18So I don't know what to expect, but I'm prepared for it all.
04:24Have you seen him this fight week at all?
04:26Not yet.
04:27Are you excited to see him for the first time?
04:29Excited is not the word to use.
04:33But I know it's bound to happen.
04:35And when it does, I mean, it happens.
04:40Yeah, but it's not really like a feeling of excitement.
04:44It's inevitable.
04:45So when it happens, however I feel inside is how I feel.
04:50Cleo, other side.
04:51I don't know if you saw, but there was a clip going around yesterday of Anderson Silva in
04:56a media scrum in 2015, joking about how you knocked him out in training camp.
05:01And then he circled back and he said, I think you were 2-0 at the time.
05:04And he said that you were going to be a future champion all the way back in 2015, he was
05:08saying this.
05:09And I know you envisioned getting the belt and everything, but do you just think of that
05:13time too when people like Anderson have been calling you a future champ for 10 years at
05:18this point?
05:19I think about those moments a lot, especially when those moments of doubt creep in, you
05:27know, like self-doubt.
05:28I think we all deal with that a little bit, especially when we're going after big things.
05:34And I remember that, yeah, people like Anderson have been saying this when I only had two
05:42fights.
05:43You know, there was something that they saw, being champions themselves, you know.
05:48So yeah, I think about it.
05:50I appreciate those moments.
05:52I love that they're out there and they're a part of my story so that when I do become
05:58champion it's just like, it just all aligns, you know.
06:03What's it like when, because it's one thing to have like your coach, your training partner
06:07say future champion, but have a guy like Anderson Silva say you're going to be a future champion
06:11at 203.
06:12Now did you feel pressure at some point, like how do you compartmentalize a guy of that
06:15stature saying that to you so early in your career?
06:18I don't think it was pressure that I felt, it was just love.
06:21Like when I met Anderson and when he took me in and the relationship that we have and
06:26the relationship that we like, that we just like built and developed, it just feels good.
06:32You know, obviously he's done what he's done and he's always going to be my all-time favorite
06:39fighter.
06:40I aspire to have a career like his and he'll always be like a huge source of inspiration
06:49for me, especially in the MMA world.
06:52But when I hear something like that from him, it's, it just feels like love, you know?
06:58Like he really, he's treating me like a brother, like a little brother and that's cool.
07:04So yeah, man, that's the best I could say, yeah.
07:09And then like, just kind of looking at your story, because like we've been covering you
07:12for so long and like you did your post-fight interview and in the apex, you said like,
07:16you can use me, like I don't want to run from this or hide from this.
07:19And then your countdown came out and I bet there's a ton of new fans that had never seen
07:24you fight or didn't know your story or about your father and everything.
07:27Did you kind of see like this bump up in like, not interest, but like people reaching out
07:32to you that maybe had never seen you fight or didn't know your story, they would just
07:35kind of, they only watch pay-per-views and that's it, but now they've discovered who
07:38you are.
07:39I think actually after my last fight with Anthony Smith, there's been a big influx of
07:47new fans and people and that's been really cool and it's been really motivating.
07:54I think, I mean, it's almost every day that I go somewhere now in Vegas, grocery store,
08:01mall, wherever I go, at least one person, you know, will come up to me and say like,
08:07oh, I know who you are or they'll share with me, you know, maybe a difference that I've
08:11made for them or something.
08:12So since the Anthony Smith fight, I've seen a huge influx.
08:17With this fight camp and the amount of media and stuff that's happened, I've been off
08:23my phone, so I, you know, I haven't really, and I've been up in the mountains for 10 days
08:27now, so I haven't seen anybody, but I'd imagine that now that more people have heard,
08:35that hopefully they start reaching out and yeah, we make a difference.
08:40Looking at this actual fight, you touched upon it really briefly when we spoke to you
08:44at the red carpet for the Hall of Fame, but fans kind of view Alex as like the final boss
08:48for, you know, because you beat Goken Saka, you beat Dustin Jacobian, he's like the end
08:52goal for these Glory Kickboxers coming in.
08:54Do you kind of like that narrative, is it like, or is it just a fun thing for fans to
08:58kind of cue in on or do you just kind of put that off to the side?
09:01I think it's kind of cool, yeah, that's definitely a fun way to look at it, you know, especially
09:05from a fan standpoint, if they see, you know, they see Alex as, you know, the final boss,
09:12and I get to go and take my shot at the final boss, you know, I think it's really cool,
09:16I think it adds excitement, it adds, you know, interest and anticipation, so yeah, I'd like
09:24to, you know, entertain it.
09:25And then just two more quick ones, his last few fights people have obviously been heavily
09:29favoring Alex, but then like, in the build up to this, like Chael Sonnen says you're
09:33going to whoop Alex, Kamaru Usman thinks you're going to shock the world, Israel is
09:37obviously siding with Alex, but it seems a lot more 50-50 in terms of your fellow fighters,
09:42not fans and pundits, so I guess, do you think they're just tired of seeing Alex at the top,
09:46or do you think this is generally, like, they see your skill set and they go, you're the
09:49guy that can beat Alex?
09:55I mean, I think that it could be a mixture of both, but I think the guys who ride for
10:03me ride for me, the guys who don't, they don't believe in me, they don't like me for
10:08some reason, they don't want me to succeed, I mean, there's just, like, I can, there's
10:15always a little bit of hate from somewhere, I don't expect everybody to like me, I don't
10:18expect everybody to ride for me, but the people who do, man, I love them to death, I support,
10:23you know, I appreciate the people who believe in me, who encourage me to go in there and
10:28to do my thing, and to be my best, everybody else, like, if you don't believe in me, whatever,
10:35like, I'm here to do my job, and I believe in myself as well, so.
10:40Last one for me, what do you make of Alex bringing in Sean Strickland at the end of
10:43this camp to kind of, you know, put the pressure on him in there, and you said he's like a
10:47good training camp to prep for you.
10:50That's cool, like, sweet, that's cool, yeah, I mean, like, I saw it and I was like, you
10:59know, cool, like, honestly, the last interaction that I had with Sean Strickland was at the
11:07UFC PI, it was after, literally the day after Dan Higay stepped in that fight, like, three
11:14hours, four hours notice, or something like that, and I was going into the PI, I saw Dan
11:20Higay, I walked right up to him, gave him his props for just having balls of steel for,
11:26you know, just going in there, like, on such short notice, and out of the blue, Sean Strickland
11:32come up to me, he approached me, and he just said, like, Khalil, just, I apologize, I'm
11:41a dumbass, I actually kind of like you, I think you're liberal, but, you know, but overall,
11:48I like you, I respect you, something along those lines, so, what I took it as, is like,
11:58almost like, squashing whatever beef, you know what I mean, or just like saying, like,
12:03look, dude, I am who I am, I'm gonna say what I'm gonna say, but I'm coming here to personally
12:08shake your hand, tell you, I think you're a liberal, but, you know, to a certain level,
12:15I respect you, you know what I mean, it was like that, so I took it as like, okay, you're
12:19kind of, you're coming here to kind of make the peace, and I left it at that, so, now
12:24anything moving forward, like, anything that's said or whatever, I got that sort of my memory
12:30banked, so I know that there's really no issue, it's really just talk, and I won't concern
12:37myself with it, you know, yeah.
12:39Khalil, could you give us some insight into this super secret move that you've got cooking
12:44It's a super secret.
12:45I'm excited to see it, though, do you think you can pull it off?
12:51It's honestly, like, one of those things that, it presents itself, you know, I can't go searching
12:58for it, I can't go hunting for it, yeah, it's, when the opportunity comes, if it's there,
13:07if it's forced, it won't necessarily work, you know, like, the peace has got to be there,
13:15so it's possible, it's possible to happen against anyone, yeah.
13:19I remember when Demetrius Johnson did his flying armbar, and people dubbed it the mousetrap,
13:23do you have a name for this move, or are you going to have to debut that after you pull
13:27it off?
13:28Yeah, I'd have to name it after I pull it off, for sure.
13:30Speaking of techniques, and unique techniques, Alex Pereira seems to have this sort of special
13:34way to check kicks, right, he sort of gets his whole leg out of the way, is that something
13:37that you've noticed in his fights, or is that something that you sort of don't really, can't
13:41really see until you're in there and feel it for yourself?
13:44Yeah, I didn't notice anything, I mean, I saw, I think I saw something like checking
13:51the kick with, like, the back foot, and checking the kick, like, just by lifting the leg back,
14:00but I really don't pay too much attention to, you know, to, like, to those type of things,
14:04and I think it's very different when you're in the cage, and when it's live, and when
14:11it's like, when there's a title on the line, and when there's power coming at you, it's
14:19a different scenario, you know, so I try not to get too caught up into things that maybe
14:24I see online, or maybe I hear about, because fighting is very instinctive, and like, you
14:35know, intuitive, and from my perspective, so.
14:38This is a sport about momentum, right, like, guys get momentum, and they start pulling
14:42off great things, great victories quickly in a row, but do you think, for Alex, right,
14:45he's basically been untouchable, he's knocking out all these people in spectacular fashion,
14:49do you think there could be a point where momentum parlays itself into overconfidence,
14:53and perhaps he comes in, he's like, oh, I'm fighting a kickboxer, I'm amazing at kickboxing,
14:57I can just knock this guy out, and do you think there's a chance that maybe he could
15:00come into fights overconfident, and that's something you could exploit?
15:03I'd like to believe that he's not going to come in overconfident, that's what I'd like
15:13to believe, I'd like to believe that he's coming in his very best.
15:23I know that momentum can be a great thing, I know that momentum can allow us to have
15:29a certain type of confidence, which can be good, but I think that both of us on each
15:40side know what we're up against.
15:43Khalil, right over here, in the back, sorry.
15:47I saw in a video how you mentioned that at one point you were 300 pounds depressed and
15:52smoking cigarettes, you know, fast forward to now, man, you have the opportunity to challenge
15:57for a UFC championship against a guy who some consider one of the best to ever do it.
16:03When you take a look back and think about, you know, how far you've come since that time,
16:07how proud does it make you of yourself?
16:10Yeah, it's definitely, I've come a long way, I think that it's now becoming more known
16:19to the public on what my origins were when I started, but that person that I was is so
16:31far behind now, you know, I can look back and I can see who I was and what I was going
16:37through.
16:39I really focus on the road that's been in between that person and where I am now.
16:47I'm very happy that I overcome all of the challenges, even past that, the other ones
16:54that are in between.
16:56I'm proud of myself for sticking it through.
16:58I'm grateful for my team, my coaches, my family, everybody who I keep near me, like that's
17:05right now one of the most important things is who I've surrounded myself with and the
17:11people who have held me accountable.
17:14But it's major and in a way this is only the beginning.
17:19I understand that I'm getting ready to fight for a title, this is the height of my career,
17:27but I think as far as personal growth and who I'm becoming and will become as a man,
17:34this is only the beginning.
17:35Fair enough.
17:36And last but not least, man, I have to mention the prank that we saw on Embedded with the
17:40Bigfoot outfit.
17:41Did you guys like that one?
17:42Absolutely.
17:43Do you think that this might be one of the highlights of your UFC career and fight weeks?
17:48That had to be something that you probably remember forever.
17:52Yeah, I think we'll remember it for a very long time.
17:58It was just a good moment to have.
18:02We've been up here in the mountains for a while.
18:05Every day has been hard work.
18:08There wasn't actually a lot of fun and games going on, but we figured we'd end the week
18:14with something like that.
18:17I'm glad everybody had fun.
18:19I'm glad it actually worked and Darryl was convinced.
18:24That was the highlight and just going and seeing on Embedded, just seeing his eyes and
18:31that was good.
18:32One of the highlights, I'll always remember it.
18:35I think it might be the beginning of maybe a series of fight camp pranks.
18:41Thank you, man.
18:42I just thought that the area you did it in couldn't have been any more perfect.
18:46The little trail, then down below you got the Bigfoot running, that was perfect, man.
18:50Yeah.
18:51It was actually a workout as well because we had to go down this hill about a quarter
18:56mile, but we're all the way up in Park City.
19:00Running back, uphill, incline, quarter mile sprint, it ain't easy.
19:06Shout out to the Embedded camera guy for keeping up with us.
19:11Cale, I wanted to circle back around a couple times.
19:15You mentioned embedding yourselves up in the mountains and training in Park City and whatnot.
19:19Did you spend a little extra time trying to get altitude adjusted and that kind of thing?
19:23Is that what you're referring to?
19:25Yeah, I came up early.
19:27I came up early.
19:28I wanted to make sure that I was as prepared as I can be.
19:35We came up very early.
19:37Actually, my first time really coming down from the mountain is to come here to do check-in,
19:44to do media.
19:45We've been up there.
19:46We've been training up there.
19:48We've been running every day, been grappling, doing everything up there.
19:52It's beautiful.
19:53This is, I think, Salt Lake City and Park City.
19:58It's in my top 10 favorite places in the world, and I've been to a lot of places, but this
20:03place is beautiful.
20:04It's safe to assume they're treating you pretty well in Park City and in Salt Lake, the little
20:07that you've been to them?
20:08Man, the place is amazing.
20:10We had a fun time at the Utah Hockey Club game, super welcoming, great crowd, great
20:16team.
20:17They came out strong even in just an exhibition game.
20:20Fans have been really supportive.
20:23Great coffee shops, great food.
20:26I love to ski, so going and seeing Park City, it's not snowing yet, but obviously just seeing
20:31the potential, just ski slopes and what's out there.
20:36I'm a fan.
20:37I'll be back multiple times.
20:39Khalil, over here on your left, now that we're actually here, we're just a few days away
20:44from this fight, we can only imagine the emotions that come with finally getting a shot after
20:50years of training and dedication.
20:52Are you avoiding these emotions and trying to stay focused or are you taking it all in?
21:01I'm taking everything in, whether it's emotions or happiness.
21:05I'm just taking it all in.
21:10Emotions or lack of emotion, I think I'm embracing the moment.
21:17I'm just trying to stay positive and stay grateful and happy.
21:21It's not every day that I get to headline a pay-per-view and fighting for a title.
21:30I make sure that every day when I wake up, in the middle of the day, and when I go to
21:37bed, I'm just grateful for the moments.
21:41Grateful for where I'm at.
21:43It's an appreciation thing and I think that's what's helping me to combat the emotions or
21:50put too much pressure on myself.
21:53I'm just happy.
21:54I'm happy to be here.
21:55I'm happy to know that I'm prepared.
21:59I thank my coaches and my team for just the dedication.
22:02There's just a lot of positivity around all of this and I think that's what's helping
22:06me to combat any nerves and all that stuff.
22:10They'll come when they come.
22:11I know they'll be there.
22:14Now in the moment and up until now, it's just been trying to stay positive and keep my heart
22:21full.
22:22Nice.
22:23Real quick, I don't know if you saw the other day, Alex Pereira dared you to publicly promise
22:28a portion of your fight purse to charity if you shoot for a takedown.
22:33Is that something you're entertaining a lot?
22:34No, you don't even shoot for takedowns.
22:39I would rather just publicly promise to donate a portion of my winnings to charity regardless
22:46of a takedown or not.
22:48I'd rather do that than ... You know what I mean?
22:51I'm not a betting guy.
22:52I don't bet.
22:54I don't really support it.
22:59But if it's a challenge in a way to show or to show that I will donate to a positive cause
23:08or to a charity, I don't need to say that I won't shoot for a takedown.
23:12I'll just do that flat off.
23:13If that's what he's asking me to do, hey, I want you to donate to charity, okay.
23:18That's what I'll do.
23:19Am I going to shoot for a takedown?
23:20I don't plan to.
23:21I've said this multiple times.
23:23It's not in my plans.
23:24But if it happens, it happens.
23:26It is MMA.
23:27The guy hits me with something and I'm like, I have to save myself.
23:31Okay, cool.
23:32But my game plan is not to go in there and become a D1 wrestler.
23:36Everybody who watched me knows.
23:37That's kind of where this, I want to actually kind of say that to, I guess, set the record
23:42straight because there's been a lot of talk around this takedown and this and that.
23:46The main thing that I was trying to say, my whole career, everyone has known me for pretty
23:54much my striking and my striking style.
24:01What I was trying to say is don't expect anything different just because it's a title
24:06fight and just because I'm going against Alex, who's also a striker.
24:10Don't expect anything different.
24:13Expect me.
24:14Expect who you've always seen.
24:17Now, if something happens, I get damaged and there's no choice but to shoot a takedown.
24:26Okay, maybe that happens, but my game plan and who I am hasn't changed.
24:31I'm not a wrestler, so don't expect me to go in there diving for legs for five rounds.
24:36That's kind of the main thing.
24:38But then it turned into this challenge and this and that.
24:41No.
24:42So I will, no matter what, takedown or not, I'll donate a portion of my winnings to a
24:49charity in Las Vegas because that's my home and that's where I plan to bring the belt
24:53back home to.
24:56There are a lot of places there that, or a lot of foundations and stuff there that could
25:00use help, so challenge accepted.
25:03Thanks Matt.
25:04Yeah.