UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr’s coach has backed him to earn another title shot in the promotion.
Tonight, Khalil Rountree Jr will step into the cage for the first time since his incredible performance against Alex Pereira. While he wasn’t able to take the belt away from ‘Poatan’, he put forward the kind of showing that made everyone realise that he is a legitimate threat in the light heavyweight division – as if they didn’t know that already.
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This evening, though, Rountree Jr will battle former champion Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC Baku. It’s a very different kind of fight, but it’s also one that will allow him to show off his striking prowess.
In a recent interview, his coach John Wood explained why he can picture a world in which Rountree Jr fights for the title again sooner rather than later.
Wood’s view on Rountree Jr
“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.”
“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.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
