Khalil Rountree Jr.

(Redirected from Khalil Rountree)

Khalil Ibn Rountree Jr. (born February 26, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[2] As of December 12, 2023, he is #8 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.[5]

Khalil Rountree Jr.
BornKhalil Ibn Rountree Jr.[1]
(1990-02-26) February 26, 1990 (age 34)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.[2]
Other namesThe War Horse[3]
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
DivisionLight Heavyweight
Middleweight
Reach76+12 in (194 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
TeamSyndicate MMA (present)[4]
Tiger Muay Thai (2019–present)[4]
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins13
By knockout9
By decision4
Losses5
By knockout2
By submission1
By decision2
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background edit

Rountree was born in Los Angeles, California. When he was two years old, his father was shot and killed in an attempted robbery while working as the tour manager for Boyz II Men.[6] After one year of MMA training, Rountree started his MMA amateur career in 2011.[7] Before his UFC 236 fight against Eryk Anders, Rountree trained in Thailand, focusing on Muay Thai.[8]

Mixed martial arts career edit

Resurrection Fighting Alliance edit

Rountree had a record of 6–1 in his amateur fights, competing as a Middleweight under the Tuff-N-Uff and King of the Cage (KOTC) banners.[9]

Rountree made his professional debut, as a light heavyweight, with Resurrection Fighting Alliance against Livingston Lukow at RFA 15 on June 6, 2014. Rountree won the fight by unanimous decision.[10]

Rountree was scheduled to face Blake Troop in a 190 lbs catchweight bout at RFA 21 on December 5, 2014. Rountree won the fight by a first-round knockout, after just 39 seconds.[11]

Rountree made his middleweight debut against Cameron Olson at RFA 25 on April 10, 2015. Rountree won the fight by a unanimous decision.[12]

Rountree made his final appearance with RFA against Justin Polendey at RFA 33 on December 11, 2015. Rountree won the fight by first-round knockout.[13]

The Ultimate Fighter edit

In April 2016, Rountree competed as a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia.[14][15] In the first round, he faced Muhammed DeReese and won via knockout.[16] In the elimination round, he faced Cory Hendricks and lost via submission in the first round.[17]

Later in the show, Hendricks withdrew himself from the competition due to neck injury and Dana White decided to bring back Rountree for the semi-final round.[18] Rountree moved on to faced Josh Stansbury and won via knockout in the first round to advance and face Andrew Sanchez at the finale.[19][20][21]

Ultimate Fighting Championship edit

Rountree made his promotional debut on July 8, 2016 at UFC The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale for the TUF 23 Light Heavyweight title against Andrew Sanchez.[19][20] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[22]

Rountree next faced Tyson Pedro at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson on November 27, 2016.[23] He was submitted via rear-naked choke in round one.[24]

On his third fight Rountree faced Daniel Jolly at UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie on February 4, 2017.[25] He won via knockout in the first round.[26]

Rountree faced Paul Craig on July 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio.[27][deprecated source] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[28]

Rountree was expected to face Gökhan Saki on December 30, 2017 at UFC 219.[29] However, Saki was forced to pull out, citing knee injury, and was replaced by Michał Oleksiejczuk.[30] Rountree lost the fight by unanimous decision.[31] However, after the fight, it was revealed that Oleksiejczuk had tested positive for clomiphene, an anti-estrogenic substance. As a result, the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) officially overturned the result of the fight to a no contest.[32]

The bout between Rountree and Gökhan Saki eventually took place at UFC 226 on July 7, 2018.[33] Rountree won the fight via knockout in round one.[34] This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.[35]

Rountree faced promotional newcomer Johnny Walker on November 17, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 140.[36] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[37]

Rountree faced Eryk Anders on April 13, 2019 at UFC 236.[38] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[39]

Rountree faced Ion Cuțelaba on September 28, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 160.[40] He lost via TKO in the first round.[41]

Rountree was expected to face Sam Alvey on March 28, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik.[42] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed.[43]

Despite talks of retiring after the scrapped bout with Alvey, Rountree signed a contract extension with the UFC in October 2020.[44]

Rountree faced Marcin Prachnio on January 24, 2021 at UFC 257.[45] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[46]

Rountree faced Modestas Bukauskas on September 4, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 191.[47] He won the fight via TKO in round two after catching Bukauskas with an oblique kick, marking the first time the technique had been used to finish a fight in the UFC.[48]

Rountree faced Karl Roberson on March 12, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 203.[49] Rountree won the fight via TKO in round two.[50] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[51]

Rountree faced Dustin Jacoby on October 29, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 213.[52] He won the fight via split decision which people label as controversial.[53]

Rountree was scheduled to face Chris Daukaus on June 10, 2023 at UFC 289.[54] However on June 2, 2023, it was revealed that Daukaus suffered injury and was pulled from the card.[55] The bout with Daukaus was rescheduled for August 12, 2023 at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos.[56] Rountree won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[57] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[58]

Rountree was scheduled to face Azamat Murzakanov on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52.[59] However, Murzakanov suffered from symptoms related to Pneumonia and was removed from the event, and Rountree was instead booked to face Anthony Smith one week later at UFC Fight Night 233.[60] Rountree won the fight via technical knockout in round three.[61] This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.[62]

Championships and achievements edit

Personal life edit

Rountree enjoys moshing and spin kicking in the pit. He is a fan of Beatdown hardcore music.[66]

Mixed martial arts record edit

Professional record breakdown
19 matches 13 wins 5 losses
By knockout 9 2
By submission 0 1
By decision 4 2
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 13–5 (1) Anthony Smith TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez December 9, 2023 3 0:56 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 12–5 (1) Chris Daukaus TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos August 12, 2023 1 2:40 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 11–5 (1) Dustin Jacoby Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen October 29, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–5 (1) Karl Roberson TKO (body kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev March 12, 2022 2 0:25 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 9–5 (1) Modestas Bukauskas TKO (leg kick) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till September 4, 2021 2 2:30 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 8–5 (1) Marcin Prachnio Decision (unanimous) UFC 257 January 24, 2021 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 8–4 (1) Ion Cuțelaba TKO (elbows) UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier September 28, 2019 1 2:35 Copenhagen, Denmark
Win 8–3 (1) Eryk Anders Decision (unanimous) UFC 236 April 13, 2019 3 5:00 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Loss 7–3 (1) Johnny Walker KO (elbow) UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio November 17, 2018 1 1:57 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Win 7–2 (1) Gökhan Saki TKO (punches) UFC 226 July 7, 2018 1 1:36 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
NC 6–2 (1) Michał Oleksiejczuk NC (overturned) UFC 219 December 30, 2017 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Originally a unanimous decision win for Oleksiejczuk; overturned after he tested positive for clomiphene.
Win 6–2 Paul Craig KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio July 16, 2017 1 4:56 Glasgow, Scotland
Win 5–2 Daniel Jolly KO (knee) UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie February 4, 2017 1 0:52 Houston, Texas, United States
Loss 4–2 Tyson Pedro Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson November 27, 2016 1 4:07 Melbourne, Australia
Loss 4–1 Andrew Sanchez Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale July 8, 2016 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Light Heavyweight. The Ultimate Fighter 23 Light Heavyweight Tournament Final.
Win 4–0 Justin Polendey KO (punch) RFA 33 December 11, 2015 1 1:42 Costa Mesa, California, United States
Win 3–0 Cameron Olson Decision (unanimous) RFA 25 April 10, 2015 3 5:00 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States Middleweight debut.
Win 2–0 Blake Troop KO (punch) RFA 21 December 5, 2014 1 0:39 Costa Mesa, California, United States Catchweight (190 lb) bout.
Win 1–0 Livingston Lukow Decision (unanimous) RFA 15 June 6, 2014 3 5:00 Culver City, California, United States Light Heavyweight debut.

[67]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 2–1 Josh Stansbury TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia July 6, 2016 (airdate) 1 4:15 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States TUF 23 Semifinal round
Loss 1–1 Cory Hendricks Submission (rear-naked choke) April 27, 2016 (airdate) 1 2:34 TUF 23 Quarterfinal round
Win 1–0 Muhammed Dereese TKO (punches and soccer kicks to the body) April 20, 2016 (airdate) 2 0:38 TUF 23 Elimination round


Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 6-0 Dylan Jahrling KO (punch) Tuff-N-Uff: Future Stars of MMA July 5, 2013 1 1:47 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won the Tuff-N-Uff Amateur Middleweight Championship.
Win 5-0 Lee Cordova Submission (guillotine choke) Tuff-N-Uff: Festibrawl 6 May 26, 2013 1 0:49 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 4-0 Prentice Williams Decision (unanimous) Tuff-N-Uff: Knock Out Cancer 2 October 11, 2012 3 3:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 3-0 Giovani Zavala TKO (knee and punches) Tuff-N-Uff: Beauties and Beasts January 27, 2012 1 0:30 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 2-0 Niels Berlemann KO (punch) KOTC: Future Legends 2 June 4, 2011 1 0:16 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 1-0 Travis Jelmyer TKO (punches) Tuff-N-Uff: Future Stars of MMA March 12, 2011 1 0:21 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

[68]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Khalil Rountree Jr. MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  2. ^ a b "Khalil Rountree - Official UFC® Profile". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  3. ^ Sherdog.com. "Khalil". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  4. ^ a b Mike Bohn (April 10, 2019). "UFC 236's Khalil Rountree moved to Thailand after Johnny Walker exposed clinch game". mmajunkie.com.
  5. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  6. ^ Coleman, Joe (January 22, 2021). "Resilient Khalil Rountree's father was murdered whilst managing Boyz II Men – now he is a UFC star fighting on Conor McGregor's card". Talksport.
  7. ^ "BE Scouting Report #3 MW: Khalil Rountree". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  8. ^ Rangarajan, Aditya (April 14, 2019). "WATCH: Khalil Rountree, who went to train in Thailand, smashes Eryk Anders in performance of a lifetime". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  9. ^ Sherdog.com. "Khalil". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  10. ^ MMAWeekly.com Staff. "RFA 15 Results: King Kevin Casey Claims Crown". Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  11. ^ MMA Junkie Staff (6 December 2014). "RFA 21 results: Baghdad claims vacant belt, Murphy stuns Frazatto". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  12. ^ MMA Junkie Staff (11 April 2015). "RFA 25 results: Justin Lawrence tears through Sam Toomer to retain title". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  13. ^ Reinsmith, Trent (12 December 2015). "RFA 33 results, video: Legs aren't supposed to bend that way". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Champ Jedrzejczyk, Gadelha announced as 'TUF 23' coaches, rematch on July 8". MMAjunkie. 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  15. ^ "Jedrzejczyk, Gadelha Coach TUF 23, Rematch July 8". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
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  29. ^ Coral Barry (2017-10-09). "Gokhan Saki back in UFC action against Khalil Rountree on New Year's Eve". metro.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
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  34. ^ "UFC 226 results: Khalil Rountree Jr. knocks out Gokhan Saki". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
  35. ^ Staff (2018-07-07). "TUF 27 Finale bonuses: 'Violent Bob Ross' Luis Pena gets a happy accident worth $50k". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  36. ^ Marcel Dorff (2018-08-29). "Khalil Rountree Jr. makes an appearance during UFC Buenos Aires against Johnny Walker" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
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  38. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2019-02-23). "UFC 236 adds Eryk Anders vs. Khalil Rountree, Ovince Saint Preux vs. Nikita Krylov 2, more". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
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  40. ^ Staff (2019-07-12). "Ion Cutelaba vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. officially confirmed for UFC Copenhagen". mmadnanl.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  41. ^ Anderson, Jay (2019-09-28). "UFC Copenhagen Results: Ion Cuțelaba Smashes Khalil Rountree Jr". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  42. ^ Anderson, Jay (2019-12-28). "Greg Hardy, Sam Alvey Among UFC Columbus Additions". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  43. ^ Nolan King and John Morgan (2020-03-15). "UFC postpones three events amid growing coronavirus outbreak". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  44. ^ Khalil Rountree Jr. (October 30, 2020). "I'm extremely happy to announce that I've decided to extend my contract with the @ufc and will be making my return at the start of 2021..." instagram.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
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  54. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2023-04-20). "UFC 289 adds Chris Daukaus light heavyweight debut vs. Khalil Rountree". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  55. ^ "Chris Daukaus out of UFC 289 due to injury". MMA Junkie. 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
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  57. ^ Law, Eddie (2023-08-12). "Khalil Rountree Jr Lands Massive Left Hand, Finishes Chris Daukaus In First Round at UFC Vegas 78". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
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  60. ^ "Anthony Smith replaces ill Azamat Murzakanov to face Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night 233". MMA Junkie. 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  61. ^ Dewar, Val (2023-12-10). "UFC Vegas 83: Khalil Rountree Jr. Punctuates Striking Dominance With KO Combo vs Anthony Smith". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
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  65. ^ UFC.com (December 16, 2023). "UFC Fight Stats - Light Heavyweight Division". ufc.com.
  66. ^ "Khalil Rountree talks about what he missed while filming 'TUF' 23 — VIDEO". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
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  68. ^ Sherdog.com. "Khalil". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-09-04.

External links edit