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UFC NEWS & FEATURESRivalries: Khalil Rountree
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BRIAN
Maybe now Khalil Rountree can make his long-awaited push toward the Top 10 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division.
The resurgent Syndicate MMA rep will put his three-fight winning streak on the line when he faces Chris Daukaus as part of the UFC on ESPN 51 main card this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rountree, 33, has compiled 7-5 record inside the Octagon, his topsy-turvy run in the organization highlighted by victories over Paul Craig, Modestas Bukauskas and Karl Roberson. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 213, where he eked out a split decision over Dustin Jacoby on Oct. 29.
As Rountree moves ever closer to his forthcoming battle with Daukaus at 205 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:
Andrew Sanchez
The former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion cruised to a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Rountree when their light heavyweight final co-headlined “The Ultimate Fighter 23” Finale on July 8, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Scores were 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26. Sanchez struck for repeated takedowns, applied his ground-and-pound and established his superiority in top position. Rountree failed to stay on his feet for any extended period of time, as he was lured into clinches and forced to defend one takedown after another. He did almost nothing notable from an offensive standpoint in the second and third rounds. By the time it was over, Sanchez had built a 118-58 advantage in total strikes.
Gokhan Saki
Rountree took out the former Glory Kickboxing champion with punches in the first round of their UFC 226 light heavyweight showcase on July 7, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The favored Saki bit the dust 1:36 into Round 1. Operating in the shadows of the Daniel Cormier-Stipe Miocic main event, Rountree engaged the Mike Passenier-trained Dutchman in the center of the cage and did so with fearless precision. He countered a leg kick, floored Saki with a surgical straight left and followed him to the canvas, where he finished the job with a volley of kneeling hammerfists. It was the fifth first-round finish of Rountree’s career. The eyebrow-raising performance ultimately marked the end of Saki’s brief run in the UFC.
Johnny Walker
The 6-foot-6 Brazilian entered the deep end of the mixed martial arts pool with a cannon ball, as he knocked out Rountree with a savage standing elbow in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 140 light heavyweight feature on Nov. 17, 2018 at Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Walker drew the curtain 1:57 into Round 1 of an utterly dazzling promotional debut. It could not have gone worse for Rountree. Walker rattled him with a head kick, forced him backward and delivered a devastating elbow from the collar tie before mopping up the rest with follow-up punches. That was all she wrote. Rountree went back to the drawing board and made the most of his time there.
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https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/Rivalries-Khalil-Rountree-190725
