Khalil Rountree put on a show at UFC 307 alongside Alex Pereira. Despite the loss, the American fighter gave Pereira a run for his money and made the champion dig deep for the win. Rountree’s performance impressed a lot of fans and experts, including former UFC champion Anderson Silva .
Many fans and experts regard Silva among the GOATs of MMA due to his incredible resume and skills. Given his knowledge, Silva has seen a lot of fighters, but for him, Khalil Rountree was special. Both fighters share a decade-old relationship, evident in Silva’s latest wholesome message for the title challenger.
“As for my little brother Khalil, I am so proud of you, my brother. Thank you so much for being part of my life. Those who know your story know who you truly are: you are a giant. You walk away from this battle as a winner because you showed that fighting at a high level is not for just anyone.”- Anderson Silva via Instagram
Anderson Silva also gave credit to his fellow countryman Alex Pereira for his incredible win. The legend was torn between supporting his friend (Alex) and brother, Rountree, at UFC 307. The respect and admiration the ‘Spider’ had for Rountree was clearly visible in the post.
Silva always acknowledged and trusted Khalil Rountree’s talent. In a 2015 interview, Silva predicted Rountree would become a future champion. The footage reappeared lately, capturing the attention of many fight fans. At UFC 307, Silva’s prediction was almost correct, but Pereira’s power eventually won out.
Khalil Rountree came very close to beat Alex Pereira
The main event bout between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree was an absolute blood bath and became an instant classic. At the beginning of the bout, Rountree showed his Muay Thai skills and pushed Pereira to the back foot. With his strikes, Rountree was quick and explosive, which put Pereira in momentary trouble.
Unlike his previous rivals, Pereira struggled to land clean shots on Rountree. One of the biggest reasons for this was the challengers’ incredible distance management and defense (high-guard Muay Thai stance). UFC legend Demetrius Johnson discussed this on his YouTube channel and went into detail.
“Khalil did a lot of things correct. He was blitzing across the board to get to Alex…the second thing he did well was he did a good job of not bringing his hands down…he would always X-block. He did the best he could.”- Demetrious Johnson via his official YT Channel
In contrast to other light heavyweights like Jamahal Hill, Rountree accepted his defeat with grace and open arms. The American fighter thanked everyone, including Pereira, and gave fans an update on the fight’s aftermath. The title challenger gained massive respect from fans thanks to his optimistic outlook on losing the title fight.