What’s Next for a 35-Year-Old Fighter After His Devastating Loss?
Khalil Rountree Jr. spiked his mediocre career with a valiant effort in his title opportunity against Alex Pereira. Since that fight, he has gained a plethora of fans and has gotten bigger and better fights. His masterclass performance against Jamahal Hill set him up for a potential title eliminator fight against Jiri Prochazka. After two dominant rounds, Rountree ended up being on the receiving end of one of Jiri’s barrages and was knocked out in the third round. Coming up short the way Rountree did, fans are left to wonder what’s next for the thirty-five-year-old fighter. I will break down two potential matchups I think could be next for Rountree that could put him right back in the title picture.
Khalil Rountree vs. Dominick Reyes
Both fighters are coming off a loss, and still, both seem to be hungry to get back to getting another title shot. Dominick Reyes still has the striking to make himself a threat in the division, but his chin is absolutely gone, and even the slightest jab can rock him and put him on dream street. Rountree gets hit a lot, but he has been a lot more patient in his fights, so the way that he loads up on almost all of his shots has a great chance of securing a knockout as early as the first round. Reyes will always be a name that stands out ever since his title fight against Jon Jones, so getting a knockout win over him will give Rountree a boost in confidence. Even though this win won’t do much in terms of rankings or opportunity at this point in Rountree’s career, he just needs to stack up ranked wins, and this is a stylistic matchup that suits him well. It will put him back on the right path and keep his motivation alive and thriving.
Khalil Rountree vs. Magomed Ankalaev
The former Lightweight Champion Magomed Ankalaev will be looking to get back in the octagon, probably as soon as possible, after his crushing loss to Alex Pereira. He was completely outclassed and dominated, so he will be looking to put that loss and all the talk behind him and show he is still as elite as everyone said. This is a very interesting matchup because both fighters are patient in their approach and like to fight on the outside. If Khalil is aggressive and marches forward, I think he will draw Ankalaev out, and he will be able to do what he does best and counter him effectively. This is a difficult fight to predict because it all comes down to Rountree’s cardio, like almost all of his fights. If his cardio was better, he would have beaten Jiri and most likely be the Lightweight Champion right now. If this is a five-round fight, which I assume it will be, that will be a huge advantage for Ankalaev, which will allow him to take control of the fight later and potentially get a finish. If this ends up being a three-round fight, it could go either way, and the best chance Rountree has at securing a huge victory.
I don’t believe this loss to Jiri hurt Khalil’s stock at all because it was a great fight, and he won the first two rounds on all three scorecards. These two fights, depending on how much pressure Khalil wants after this loss, will put Khalil right back on track. If he wants a slower climb towards his goal, the fight with Reyes makes more sense. If he wants the chance to get right back there after one fight, fighting the former champion Ankalaev would be the quickest way for him to do that. Whatever Dana White and his committee choose to do with Khalil Rountree next, you know it’s going to be fireworks anytime he steps into the octagon, so you don’t want to miss it.
