The outrage was palpable. For weeks, Dana White had to defend granting Khalil Rountree Jr. — ranked eighth at the time — a shot at Alex Pereira’s light heavyweight title at UFC 307.
Rountree wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near a title bout. His best win was over Anthony Smith, who was nearing the end of a marvelous career. The UFC skipped Magomed Ankalaev, the clear-cut No. 1 contender, in order to give Rountree the opportunity.
Fans were in an uproar. Pereira was a huge star, and many saw the pairing as UFC protecting its most valuable asset.
Some called it a duck, putting that word into the UFC lexicon just before heavyweight champion Jon Jones brushed off a bout with interim champ Tom Aspinall.
Then the fight happened.
Pereira won by fourth-round TKO, but Rountree won a legion of fans with his grit, aggression and courageous effort.
Despite a serious nose injury in camp that left him struggling to breathe, Rountree stood toe-to-toe with one of the sport’s most feared strikers for nearly three full rounds before falling in the fourth.
Pereira went on to lose the belt to Ankalaev, throwing the division into chaos. Nine months later, Rountree is back and enters a critical clash Saturday in Azerbaijan against former champion Jamahal Hill.
Is it a fight for positioning? A title eliminator? As a once-dominant former champion who’d repeatedly taken fights on short notice to save shows, Pereira has a strong case for a rematch. Ankalaev’s camp claims Pereira turned down the offer. Despite how competitive their fight was, the division still lacks an obvious challenger.
Both Rountree and Hill see the bout as a path back to contention. Hill has dropped two straight — to Pereira at UFC 300 and to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311 — while Rountree’s loss to Pereira ended a five-fight winning streak.
The question is: Did Rountree do enough in the loss to Pereira to warrant another title shot?
Hill doesn’t believe so. The fight was entertaining, but Hill believes the public perception is misleading.
“It wasn’t really that close,” Hill said.
It was largely a kickboxing contest. Pereira not only knocked Rountree down in the fourth, he more than doubled him in significant strikes landed (127-61). Pereira landed 60 percent of his significant strike attempts, while Rountree was at a more normal 31 percent.
As compelling as Pereira-Rountree was, Rountree never changed the look or gave the Brazilian something else to think about. Before the bout, Rountree proudly said he’d never shot for a takedown, and he stayed true to that against Pereira.
But while some see it as a point of honor, if Rountree had forced Pereira to defend something other than just strikes, he may have created an opening for himself.
But Rountree said there is an important distinction to remember when it comes to his attack.
“Just because I haven’t [shot for takedowns] doesn’t mean I can’t,” Rountree said.
Hill said he’s prepared for “an MMA fight,” and not simply a stand-up battle.
Hill sees this as his chance to slam the brakes on Rountree’s rise — and remind folks that he once wore that gold. Rountree sees it as a path back to a shot at a belt he believes he nearly earned in defeat.
Both understand it’s past the point where words carry meaning. These are two men near the top of a crowded division, and pressure is mounting on them.
Neither can afford another defeat.
What matters now is what happens under the brightest lights.
Imagn Images
Jamahal Hill is coming off a loss to Jiri Prochazka.