Khalil Rountree has responded to one UFC champion’s remark about his recent fight.
Rountree shared top billing on the UFC Baku card with Jamahal Hill this past Saturday. Rountree’s calf kicks paid dividends throughout the fight. He was able to manage distance and his opponent couldn’t get much going on the feet. Rountree took home a unanimous decision victory, but one UFC titleholder is not impressed.
The soon-to-be top five ranked UFC light heavyweight has responded to the criticism.
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Khalil Rountree Slams Magomed Ankalaev
Current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Magomed Ankalaev was paying attention to the UFC Baku main event. He hopped on X to mock the efforts of Khalil Rountree and Jamahal Hill by writing, “I am falling asleep.”
During the UFC Baku post-fight press conference, Rountree was asked about Ankalaev’s post. It’s clear that Rountree wasn’t interested in letting the 205-pound titleholder rain on his parade (via MMAJunkie).
“It’s expected,” Rountree said. “That guy talks more about me than I talk about him. He says so much. It’s like, ‘Bro, you’re the champion. Why are you talking about me? Get away. Go enjoy being the champion. Quit talking about me on Twitter.’ Gosh. No more Ankalaev questions today. If you ask me, I’m putting the mic down.”
Rountree has now won six of his last seven fights. The lone loss was to Alex Pereira in a competitive standup affair. While Rountree’s fight with Hill didn’t produce the fireworks that many were hoping for, it was a strategic performance from the MMA veteran. He explained during his post-fight interview that he believes not rushing things is the sign of someone with a championship mentality.
Whether or not Rountree makes his way to UFC gold for the first time in his prizefighting career will be a story to watch.
