Khalil_Rountree_Jr.

Khalil Rountree Jr.

Khalil Rountree Jr.

American mixed martial artist (born 1990)

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]

Quick Facts Born, Other names ...

Background

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

Resurrection Fighting Alliance

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

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

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]

Rountree is next expected to face former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024.[63]

Championships and achievements

Personal life

Rountree enjoys moshing and spin kicking in the pit. He is a fan of Beatdown hardcore music.[67]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
19 matches 13 wins 5 losses
By knockout 9 2
By submission 0 1
By decision 4 2
No contests 1
More information Res., Record ...

[68]

More information Res., Record ...


More information Res., Record ...

[69]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Khalil Rountree Jr. MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  2. [2]
    "Khalil Rountree - Official UFC® Profile". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  3. [3]
    Sherdog.com. "Khalil". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  4. [4]
    Mike Bohn (April 10, 2019). "UFC 236's Khalil Rountree moved to Thailand after Johnny Walker exposed clinch game". mmajunkie.com.
  5. [5]
    "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  6. [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. [7]
    "BE Scouting Report #3 MW: Khalil Rountree". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  8. [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. [9]
    Sherdog.com. "Khalil". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  10. [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. [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. [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. [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. [14]
    "Champ Jedrzejczyk, Gadelha announced as 'TUF 23' coaches, rematch on July 8". MMAjunkie. 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  15. [15]
    "Jedrzejczyk, Gadelha Coach TUF 23, Rematch July 8". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  16. [16]
    "Episode No. 1 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 23: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia'". MMAjunkie. 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  17. [17]
    "Episode No. 1 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 23: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia'". MMAjunkie. 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  18. [18]
    "Defeated TUF 23 Contestant Gets New Life After Cory Hendricks Withdraws Due to Injury | MMAWeekly.com". Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  19. [19]
    "TUF 23 Finale weigh-in results: Joanna 114.5, Gadelha 115". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  20. [20]
    "Friday's TUF 23 Finale lineup set with Rountree-Sanchez, Cooper-Suarez tourney finals". MMAjunkie. 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  21. [21]
    "TUF 23 Full Results, Recap For Episode 12". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  22. [22]
    "'El Dirte' Dominates Rountree, Win TUF 23 Final". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  23. [23]
    "Khalil Rountree vs. newcomer Tyson Pedro added to UFC Fight Night 101 in Australia". MMAjunkie. 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  24. [24]
    "UFC Video: Tyson Pedro debut submission of Khalil Rountree". Fox Sports. 2016-11-27. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  25. [25]
    Ryan, Seán (2017-01-05). "Khalil Rountree vs. Daniel Jolly added to UFC Fight Night 104 - MMA Plus". MMA Plus. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  26. [26]
    "Video: Khalil Rountree had no idea if this knee strike was legal since 'I was just in the moment'". MMAjunkie. 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  27. [27]
    "Paul Craig believes UFC Glasgow bout with Rountree will make or break his UFC career". Dailystar.co.uk. 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  28. [28]
    "UFC Fight Night 113 results: Khalil Rountree thrashes Paul Craig for first-round KO". MMAjunkie. 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  29. [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.
  30. [30]
    "Gokhan Saki Out of UFC 219; Khalil Rountree Gets New Opponent for Year End Card | MMAWeekly.com". Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  31. [31]
    "UFC 219 results: Michal Oleksiejczuk sweeps 4-1 favorite Khalil Rountree for upset". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-31. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
  32. [32]
    "Michal Oleksiejczuk gets one-year suspension, win overturned for UFC 219 drug test failure". MMAfighting. 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  33. [33]
    "Gökhan Saki en Khalil Rountree Jr. alsnog tegen elkaar tijdens UFC 226 in Las Vegas". mmadna.nl. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  34. [34]
    "UFC 226 results: Khalil Rountree Jr. knocks out Gokhan Saki". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
  35. [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. [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.
  37. [37]
    "UFC Argentina results: Johnny Walker rocks Khalil Rountree in first-round KO". MMAjunkie. 2018-11-18. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
  38. [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.
  39. [39]
    "UFC 236 results: Khalil Rountree batters Eryk Anders over three rounds". MMA Junkie. 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  40. [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. [41]
    Anderson, Jay (2019-09-28). "UFC Copenhagen Results: Ion Cuțelaba Smashes Khalil Rountree Jr". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  42. [42]
    Anderson, Jay (2019-12-28). "Greg Hardy, Sam Alvey Among UFC Columbus Additions". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  43. [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. [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.
  45. [45]
    "UFC 257 krijgt Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Marcin Prachnio". MMA DNA. 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
  46. [46]
    Fortune, Ryan (2021-01-23). "UFC 257 Results: Marcin Prachnio Survives Knockdown, Outvolumes Khalil Rountree Jr to Claim First UFC Victory". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  47. [47]
    "Khalil Rountree Jr. en Modestas Bukauskas treffen elkaar op 4 september". MMA DNA. 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  48. [48]
    Behunin, Alex (2021-09-04). "UFC Vegas 36 Results: Khalil Rountree Jr. Finishes Modestas Bukauskas With Leg Kick". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  49. [49]
    "Rountree Jr. vs. Roberson toegevoegd aan UFC Vegas 50". Eurosport (in Dutch). 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  50. [50]
    Prawdzik, Chris (2022-03-12). "UFC Vegas 50: Ruthless Pressure Sees Khalil Rountree Jr. Finish Karl Roberson". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  51. [51]
    Staff (2022-03-12). "UFC Fight Night 203 bonuses: Yadong, Rountree among four total winners". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  52. [52]
    Jay Anderson (2022-08-03). "Light Heavyweights Dustin Jacoby and Khalil Rountree Jr. booked for Oct. 29 UFC card". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  53. [53]
    Dewar, Val (2022-10-29). "UFC Vegas 63: Khalil Rountree Jr. Outdoes Dustin Jacoby In Split Decision War". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  54. [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. [55]
    "Chris Daukaus out of UFC 289 due to injury". MMA Junkie. 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  56. [56]
    Jay Anderson (2023-06-07). "Chris Daukaus vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. Shifts to August 12 UFC Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  57. [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.
  58. [58]
    "UFC on ESPN 51 bonuses: Da'Mon Blackshear twists his way to $50K". MMA Junkie. 2023-08-13. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  59. [59]
    Sherdog.com. "Font-Figueiredo, Rountree-Murzakanov Booked for Dec. 2 UFC Card". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  60. [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. [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.
  62. [62]
    Dan Hiergesell (2023-12-09). "Bonuses! Khalil Rountree turns Anthony Smith knockout into $50K - UFC Vegas 83". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  63. [63]
    Anderson, Jay (19 April 2024). "Jamahal Hill Books Quick Return, Gets Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 303". Cageside Press.
  64. [64]
    "UFC 226 bonuses: Daniel Cormier, not surprisingly, among $50,000 winners in Vegas". MMAjunkie. 2018-07-08. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
  65. [65]
    UFC.com (December 9, 2023). "UFC Stats - Light Heavyweight Division". ufc.com.
  66. [66]
    UFC.com (December 16, 2023). "UFC Fight Stats - Light Heavyweight Division". ufc.com.
  67. [67]
    "Khalil Rountree talks about what he missed while filming 'TUF' 23 — VIDEO". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  68. [68]
    Sherdog.com. "Khalil". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  69. [69]
    Sherdog.com. "Khalil". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Khalil_Rountree_Jr., and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.