Khalil Rountree Jr. releases statement after UFC 307 loss to Alex Pereira

Khalil Rountree Jr. came up short in his first title shot at UFC 307, losing to champion Alex Pereira late in the fourth round.  Rountree Jr. had a good showing.  The title bout earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honors.

While Rountree didn’t walk away with the UFC 205-pound strap, he did walk away with a ton of experience and according to former two-division middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya, Rountree Jr.’s stock went up even in defeat.

Rountree Jr. addressed the knockout loss to Pereira in a social media post where he praised Pereira and promised to return even better.    

“I didn’t win the title but I grew last night. @alexpoatanpereira thanks for helping me see that I’m ready to take on the world. You showed amazing skill, you brought out a version of me that I needed to experience. You’re the champ for a reason, much respect. But I now know what I am capable of,” Rountree Jr. wrote on Instagram.  

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“Brazil, you guys have a strong champion, be proud. I will take time to heal from this, I’ll be back even better, it’s inevitable,” Rountree Jr. continued.  “I’m grateful. Never give up on yourself, always fight hard, uplift your communities and find ways to make the most out of life.”