Rountree admits he was surprised by fight with Poatan
Khalil Rountree Jr. will face Alex Poatan Pereira node UFC 307which takes place next Saturday (5), for the title of the organization’s light heavyweight category.
Eighth placed in the division’s ranking, the American himself admitted that he didn’t expect he would have the opportunity to challenge the Brazilian’s belt for now.
“I was very surprised when the UFC called me, but I was prepared. I understand that people are surprised, I’m ranked number eight, there are guys above me. But I think it’s an exciting fight, and the UFC thinks so too. I I couldn’t say ‘no’. I’m very happy,” he said, in an interview with the Laerte Viana na Área channel on YouTube.
The fight, in fact, caught a lot of people by surprise, mainly because just a few days before, second-placed Magomed Ankalaev was using social media to challenge the title.
But Rountree’s style is completely different from the Russian one — and suits Poatan’s style better, after all, there are two strikers and the fight tends to be quite explosive.
Khalil, in fact, does not intend to leave his “comfort zone” even to try to surprise the Tupiniquim. And not having bold strategies is precisely your strategy to defeat Pereira.
“I’m not a grappler, I don’t grapple. I know how to grapple, but that’s not my plan. I can’t give a detailed answer. For me, the main thing is just to stay focused and not try anything crazy,” he said.
Why is Poatan vs. Rountree a surprise?
Khalil Rountree is on a five-fight winning streak, but his last fight is almost a year old, as he served a suspension after being caught in an anti-doping test for mistakenly consuming an anabolic steroid banned by Ultimate.
The substance in question was mixed in a supplement, and this was proven by the fighter himself through laboratory tests. Still, because he had anabolic steroids in his system, Rountree received a two-month suspension to stay clean.
The opportunity to compete for a title right after returning from a doping suspension left many fighters angry, like Ankalaev himself and Jamahal Hill, for example. But Dana White paid no attention to the protests, much less Khalil himself.
Happy with the title challenge, the North American knows he has a huge challenge ahead of him and made an analysis of Poatan.
“Alex is a great champion, he is smart, very strategic. He fought some of the best too and kept the belt. He always keeps the title, keeps winning. He has focus and has proven that he is the best in the world, and now I have the chance to challenge him”, he celebrated.
Pereira is defending his second belt after becoming light heavyweight champion in November last year, fighting against former champion Jiri Prochazka. The three title victories were by knockout.
