New footage shows a devastating jab wreaking havoc during the UFC 307 main event. โPoatanโ sensed some initial adversity and even wobbled against strong pocket striker Khalil Rountree. But, Alex Pereira blew out Rountree with a vicious flurry at 4:32 of Round 4. Pereira took over when the challengerโs gas tank failed him. Everyone knows Pereira is strong, but this particular instance is mind-bogglingly violent!
Some donโt even make it to the second round. Khalil Rountree Jr. went four in the pay-per-view top bill at UFC 307. During the course of that fourth round, โWar Horseโ took some thunderous punches as his fuel ran out. A dextral footage from ESPN cameras (airing on ESPNNews/ESPN+ Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET) sees Rountree take a straight shot to the face. An already bloody state, he spews out more blood splatter on impact from the stone left shot!
Is this the best Alex โPoatanโ Pereira shot ever? Perhaps, it could be. Letโs be pragmatically clear here: his blowout of Jamahal Hill was awesome, but it was not his best, given he did not even channel it fully; at best the slight shovel hook was a testament to his power. His sparring and actual matchup with Sean Strickland is a clear contender. But this one with Rountree just takes the cake, or gore in this instance.
This angle of Alex Pereira walking down Khalil Rountree is brutal pic.twitter.com/p2HxPNnJlw
โ ๐๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ช๐จ ๐๏ธ (@mmamarcuss) October 7, 2024
Alex Pereiraโs jab is frightening ๐ฑ#UFC307
โ Lewis Simpson (@LewisSimpsonMMA) October 7, 2024
Referee Marc Goddard is another person with a unique perspective on how hard Pereira hits. After UFC 307, he told on-assignment commentator Joe Rogan in the ring that he had never heard anything louder than Pereira teeing off shots! Former two-division champ Daniel Cormier was in the commentary booth with Rogan and expressed shock at Goddardโs praise for Pereira. While everyone has their take on the violence, Rountree has his tales to tell.
Chin up, nose high: Khalil Rountree was injured way before UFC 307 title fight
All are aware that โstone handโ Alex Pereira can crack. But some (Khalil Rountree) know it a bit more than others. Four of Rountreeโs six career losses have come as stoppages. This one though, was a violent tale. Rountree Jr. stayed in the fight as long as he did, especially after Pereira exploded his nose with a nasty, slow-motion jab. But he said that the Brazilian KO artist is not all to blame.
The 37-year-old hit a seemingly light shot. But it exploded Rountree Jrโs nose โ and it was the beginning of the end. Two more body shots floored him against the fence until Goddard put a stop to it. However, Khalil Rountree says as surprising as the sequence was, the nose was already bust-up going into the fight.
Khalil Rountree shares a photo of a cut he got 3 weeks prior to the fight with Alex Pereira
โWe knew it would re open during the fight and it did.โ
๐ธ IG / @khalilrountree #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/oYAbrlKfxR
โ Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 7, 2024
Khalil Rountree Jr. revealed that he had successful surgery on his nose after #UFC307 ๐
(๐ธ khalilrountree/IG) pic.twitter.com/Bu6bq4qsgW
โ ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 8, 2024
Rountree Jrโs epic fight with Alex Pereira at UFC 307 will leave him with scars for a while. The Team Syndicate MMA fighter had a rush job at the local Salt Lake City hospital for precautionary reasons. He later also provided updates on surgical septoplasty on his nasal stem. The fighter subsequently got a heroโs return in his gym, like a true warrior. Some warriors mold themselves without the gold and blimp; โWar Horseโ will be proof of that.
