Dana White is absolutely fuming over the position Khalil Rountree has found himself after UFC 307. ‘The War Horse’ put his best foot and shot selection forward atop the pay-per-view title top bill. However, Rountree lost out to Alex Pereira via fourth-round TKO at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Despite his performance, the fighter didn’t gain any traction in the 205-pound rankings.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was apparently the weekly update released in the days following UFC 307. It’s one thing where the “absolute best” Jon Jones is absent and low on the UFC pound-for-pound list. But a title challenger with a performance like Khalil Rountree Jr. remaining stagnant is another. As a result, UFC CEO Dana White has called an emergency meeting with his employees to discuss the continuing problem.
The morons strike again …Khalil Rountree fights that bad*ss fight against Pereira and the morons rank him at No. 8 — keep him at No. 8. Literally this week, I have a meeting to try to fix the rankings and get all these know-nothing, do-nothing motherfu*kers’ out of it…So, hopefully, this week, I get this fixed. Have a great day, everybody.
Dana White via IG (@danawhite)
The American entered as an unlikely title challenger as No. #8 in the UFC Athlete Rankings for light heavyweights. Rountree won a “Fight of the Night” bonus for his war with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, However, he finds himself in the same spot after the UFC 307 live title header on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV). What happened to Rountree was not dissimilar to what happened to Renato Moicano at last month’s UFC Paris event.
Dana White ISN’T happy with the latest UFC rankings update and says he has a meeting this week to try and fix the rankings 😬
“The morons strike again. Khalil Rountree fights that bad ass fight against Pereira, and the morons keep him at #8.
Literally this week I have a meeting… pic.twitter.com/lDPvQMyF3L
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 15, 2024
‘Money’ Moicano proved he is here to stay when he fleshed out the dangerous Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris (UFC Fight Night 243). During the Fight Night 243 Media Day, Moicano said he knew he wouldn’t gallop over the rankings if he won but was setting on the hype. Now, yet another ranking snub is creating quite an uproar; White must be formulating his next AI plans. Rountree is living to his own beats though.
Anybody, anywhere, anytime… but for gold: Khalil Rountree keen to bounce back from loss to UFC champion
On paper, Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) does not have much strong footing, ranking-wise. The recent title challenger is still only the #8 best light heavyweight. With 40+ years, #8 ranked Stipe Miocic challenging the 265-pound gold next month, Rountree’s chances bring in a wave of bad optics again.
The ensuing drama led Dana White to explore artificial intelligence as a possible solution. It’s also worth pointing out that White despises the MMA media members and often points out their lack of fight acumen to rank athletes. From the NY Times media leaking the UFC’s security plans, to abysmal media scoring and athlete rankings. White rants on about them all.
Chances are optimally stale for Rountree; he doesn’t mind though. Khalil Rountree Jr. knows he proved he’s a top light heavyweight in his loss to Alex Pereira at the UFC 307 per-view (PPV). His Fight of the Year candidate resulted in a fourth-round TKO defeat at Utah. Now, he is willing to bank on the sentiment and positive momentum to get back to another title opportunity.
I’ve spoken personally with Dana and Hunter [Campbell] …and I feel like I got the steak dinner already because they were entertained, …I think for me as a partner with the UFC it’s one of my biggest goals to make sure the guys at the top are pleased with what they see. After speaking with them and them being excited about the performance, they’re definitely pleased…I think right now any name in the top five or within title contention to me, makes sense.
Khalil Rountree via MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze”
Rountree revealed he signed a new multi-fight UFC contract before entering the Octagon with Pereira. Rather than hashing out his numbered spot, the 34-year-old says he’d rather fight and honor the deal. As for Rountree, he is not picky about anything but the numbers. Hence, he is just looking for that Top-5 clash to get back to gold.
