The training camp of Khalil Rountree Jr. For Jamahal Hill did not go according to plan.
After a UFC title Vecht loss for Alex Pereira last October, light heavyweight competition Khalil Rountree Jr. Back in the profit column.
The talented Muay Thai striker set up an absolute clinic on the weekend and dominated former champion Jamahal Hill to a decision victory in the UFC Baku Main Event.
Thinking about the top candidate fight, Rountree says that the road to Baku was anything but easy, after he had sustained a huge injury that stopped him during his training camp to spar.
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
Khalil Rountree Jr. says he tore his meniscus from Jamahal Hill Fight
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rountree revealed that he had a torn meniscus three weeks before his five-round fight with Hill.
“I would say about halfway through the training camp, I think when I was training Jiu-Jitsu the first time I felt some discomfort in my knee,” Rountree explained.
“Just by training with bigger boys and just doing four sessions a day on top of Like Running and Jiu-Jitsu and Pads. Then I started to feel the inconvenience for the first time.
“It only grew a little from there until I woke up one day and it was just very difficult for me to walk and even stand,” Rountree added.
“It was clearly stressful,” Rountree said about the torn meniscus injury.
“But I just had astonishing positive support to just continue and not let it influence my mental and to do what I could just push through and take on challenges and take such things as a kind of motivation. Such as using obstacle as motivation.
“So initially I was devastated and I was not really able to train how I wanted to. But it was a kind of disguised blessing because I came to the cage tonight, because I couldn't spar for three weeks.
“There has not really been much contact, because in the past three weeks have just been recovery on top of getting sick during the fighting week,” said Rountree.
Khalil Rountree Jr. Can be a victory away from another UFC title
Before fighting Jamahal Hill, Khalil Rountree Jr. thought. That he could possibly be a title shot with an impressive enough victory.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Magomed Ankalaev, however, was not so interested in Rountree afterwards and said that he 'fell asleep' during his fight.
With a top 5 ranking this week, Rountree is probably a victory removed from again fighting for the title.
Two possible opponents for Rountree are #2-ranged competitor Jiri Procazka and the #3-ranged Carlos Ulberg after his main event victory at UFC Baku.