Nobody wants to lose but Khalil Rountree’s stock arguably raised higher than ever before despite falling to Alex Pereira in his first attempt at becoming UFC champion.
At the time the title fight was announced, Rountree was one of the unlikeliest contenders to get a shot at the belt but he went into the cage and battled it out with Pereira on the feet for nearly 20 minutes before he fell just before the end of the fourth round. It was a very impressive showing that proved Rountree belongs among the best light heavyweights in the world and that’s why his head coach John Wood knows a devastating win over a former champion like Jamahal Hill at UFC Baku puts him right back into title contention again.
“The UFC, we all know, rankings and all that shit don’t mean anything. It’s what the UFC wants,” Wood told MMA Fighting. “It’s what the fans [want] or what they think is going to sell. They’re going to ride the hot hand. Again, that’s why O’Malley [got the Merab Dvalishvili rematch]. He was the hottest hand still left available, still standing and ready to do this.
“Khalil’s got a very hot hand right now. I think we go out there [and win], it’s even hotter. I think that’s a real big possibility we might get that next shot.”
Now Wood confesses that there’s no way to sugarcoat that a loss is devastating even if Rountree came away looking better than expected in a war with Pereira.
That said, Rountree definitely proved he can hang with anybody in the world at 205 pounds and he’s a legitimate threat to anybody crazy enough to stand in front of him and trade strikes.
“No one likes to lose,” Wood said. “If you’re going to lose, the best way to lose was the way that he lost to Pereira. We just saw [this after UFC 315], I think Belal’s [Muhammad] stock actually might have gone up for that loss [to Jack Della Maddalena]. He lost a belt so that sucks for him, no one wants to do that but he went out and showed some different things and had a banger of a fight with a guy. So I think you’ve got people looking at him in a different way too.
“I think sometimes just going out there and fighting your ass off is just as good if you’re able to have that great performance. I think you’ll see Khalil fighting for the belt real quick in the near future.”
Another factor potentially playing in Rountree’s favor is the uncertainty surrounding the next title fight at light heavyweight.
All signs are pointing towards new champion Magomed Ankalaev facing Pereira in a rematch sometime in 2025 but the fighters have exchanged some contentious messages on social media that has cast some doubt on that fight actually happening next.
Obviously, Wood understands that the UFC may just ultimately make the call to book Ankalaev against Pereira again no matter what’s being said online but he also understands the fickle nature of the fight business.
“Who knows what’s going on and what that rematch is coming but it doesn’t sound that great,” Wood said. “So I think we’re in a perfect position to go out there and have a massive performance against Jamahal and I think that if we get that KO, that puts us right in the conversation of who’s next. If not, maybe we’re fighting Pereira again for the next title shot if Ankalaev gets booked. Who knows.
“There’s all kinds of things but I know that Khalil is right up there. It didn’t really feel like a loss against Pereira and all the things that have come up with it and the stuff that has been very positive since that fight. I think that one big win over Hill, which I truly believe is going to happen, our name’s in the conversation.”
