Khalil Rountree issues statement following TKO loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 307

Khalil Rountree may not be the UFC light heavyweight champion, but he feels stronger than ever.

Rountree challenged Alex Pereira for the 205-pound gold in the main event of UFC 307. The “War Horse” didn’t make things easy for “Poatan.” Pereira respected the power of the title challenger, but his patience won out and he scored a fourth-round TKO finish to retain his hardware.

Now that Rountree has had a few hours to mull things over, he has issued a statement expressing gratitude.

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Khalil Rountree on UFC 307 Loss to Alex Pereira

Khalil Rountree hopped on his Instagram account to post a statement after falling short of capturing UFC gold for the first time in his pro MMA career.

“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. #saltlakecity you guys were amazing and gave me such a memorable experience. I appreciate all of the positive messages from everyone around the world. @danawhite @espn @espnmma and the entire @ufc staff, thanks for giving me a home, a place to have purpose and providing me with challenges to overcome.

“Big thanks to my wife @miakang, my family (Donny, Dave, P, all of my uncles and aunts, The Pavlica’s, the Ramseys, Everyone) for your unconditional support. 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. I’m grateful.

“Never give up on yourself, always fight hard, uplift your communities and find ways to make the most out of life. @deltacenter thanks for hosting us. #ufc307 was a night to remember.”

Rountree has likely earned himself another marquee fight thanks to his efforts at UFC 307. We’ll see who the UFC matchmakers think is best suited to fight Rountree next.