Khalil Rountree reflects on UFC 307 title fight against ‘real life final boss’ Alex Pereira: “He just kept making adjustments”

Khalil Rountree has nothing but respect for Alex Pereira after their war at UFC 307.

‘The War Horse’ and ‘Poatan’ faced off in Salt Lake City over the weekend. For Khalil Rountree, the title fight was his first appearance in the cage since knocking out Anthony Smith last December. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira was fresh off a second-round stoppage win over Jiri Prochazka in their June rematch in Las Vegas.

Naturally, ‘Poatan’ entered the cage as a heavy-betting favorite. However, Khalil Rountree found a lot of success in the first rounds of the contest. The challenger caught Alex Pereira early, even dropping him in round two. However, the Brazilian made an incredible comeback, ultimately breaking down Rountree en route to a fourth-round stoppage win.

However, the challenger’s performance at UFC 307 earned the praise of many. Speaking on a recent edition of the Pound 4 Pound Podcast with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, Khalil Rountree discussed the fight. There, he thanked fans for their support and also showered Alex Pereira in praise.

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Khalil Rountree Jr. relives fighting Alex Pereira 🗿

“This guy’s like a real-life final boss… I’d say the biggest surprise for me was the intelligence. As stoic as he is and stone-faced, I do think he has a smart brain.”

(via @pound4poundshow) pic.twitter.com/id3UhBXlu7

— Full Violence ™ (@Full_Violence) October 10, 2024

Khalil Rountree reflects on UFC 307 stoppage loss to Alex Pereira

In the interview, Khalil Rountree compared Alex Pereira to being a final boss in a video game. While the challenger got off to a hot start early, he was impressed by the Brazilian’s ability to adjust. Rountree added that Pereira’s fight IQ is second to none, and that helped carry him through.

“When I hit him with that right hook after the high kick that he threw, and I dropped him a little bit, I saw his eyes.” Khalil Rountree stated in the interview, recapping his UFC 307 loss to Alex Pereira. “He went back and was just stonefaced. I was like ‘Man, this guy is a real-life final boss’. Going in there, I knew I would be able to touch him. That’s what we were really banking on, being able to connect with him and being smart when we connect.”

He continued, “I think, one thing that is pretty underrated that I got to experience for myself, is his IQ man. His ability to mix up the strategy mid-fight, in between rounds. Round one, round two, I won. But he just kept making adjustments… As stoic as he is and as stonefaced as he is, he’s got a smart brain for sure.”

What do you make of these comments from Khalil Rountree? Were you impressed by his performance against Alex Pereira at UFC 307?