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Surging UFC light heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree Jr. seemingly impressed reigning champion Alex Pereira with his stellar performance against veteran contender Anthony Smith at UFC Vegas 83 this past weekend.
Following the bout, which saw 'The War Horse' knock out the former title challenger with a thunderous left hook, 'Poatan' took to social media to show his appreciation for the fight. In an Instagram story, the Brazilian wrote:
"This was a really good fight."
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Rountree Jr. boasts a record of 13-5 with one NC (no contest) and is currently on a five-fight win streak in the UFC.
With the recent win, he is sure to break into the top 10 of the 205-pound ladder, and a few more wins against similar high-profile opposition could land him a title shot. The devastating striker notably called out Alex Pereira during his post-fight interview, saying:
"The only thing that I want to do is fight Alex Pereira. I know that I have other people that I need to possibly fight [to get there], but I think that's the fight that the fans would want to see... Dana [White], Hunter [Cambell], if you guys pay attention to what the fans are saying, I think that's something that they want to see sooner rather than later."
Watch Khalil Rountree Jr. call out Alex Pereira below (2:20):
Khalil Rountree Jr. on why a fight against Alex Pereira makes sense
While Khalil Rountree Jr.'s call-out of Alex Pereira might've caught many off guard, 'The War Horse' seems to have a credible reason for asking to fight the reigning champion
During the post-fight press conference, the 33-year-old explained that he versus 'Poatan' is one of the most interesting matchups at light heavyweight:
"Two dynamic strikers, powerful strikers. I don't plan to shoot any takedowns. I don't think I've ever shot for a takedown in my career. I don't think he's necessarily going to shoot for any takedowns because the guy is a warrior."
Rountree Jr. added:
"Then you have two explosive, dynamic [strikers]. Now, me being in the top-10, In my mind, it's just like career [wise] makes sense."
Catch Khalil Rountree Jr.'s comments below (7:07):
