Chael Sonnen predicts "massive disaster" at UFC 307, says Khalil Rountree will "walk through" Alex Pereira: "You've got big problems"

Chael Sonnen believes that Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. will be a blowout, but not in the way the oddsmakers do. While previewing the fight on Good Guy / Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier, Sonnen gave his "hot take of the day."

'The American Gangster' said while most fans think Pereira will lose his title to a grappler, Rountree's style makes him the most difficult matchup for the champion in the division. Sonnen called Rountree a "counterfighter" who thrives against kickboxers.

Sonnen said (via MMA Fighting):

"Let me give you the hot take of the day. Khalil Rountree is going to walk through Pereira. That is the worst matchup I can think of [for Pereira]... [Rountree] does his best work when he is being attacked by a kickboxer... He is a counter fighter and he loves when you punch or kick at him first."

While some might roll their eyes at Sonnen's comment given how Pereira has won his most recent fights, Rountree is 3-0 in his career against former GLORY Kickboxing fighters. Most notably, Rountree made a name for himself when he knocked out former K-1 and GLORY Kickboxing world champion Gokhan Saki at UFC 226.

Sonnen continued:

"When you find yourself in a match that's harder than you thought it was going to be, you've got big problems... I got to tell you, this is a massive disaster for anybody who thinks the UFC is trying to protect Alex. If they're trying to protect Alex, somebody just made a big mistake."

Watch the full episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy from ESPN MMA on YouTube below:

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Alex Pereira's light heavyweight title reign

Khalil Rountree Jr. is the No. 8 ranked contender in the light heavyweight division, which upset many fans when the UFC announced him as Alex Pereira's next opponent. Specifically, many felt that the promotion was intentionally denying Magomed Ankalaev a title shot, whose wrestling-based fight style makes him a tough matchup for 'Poatan' on paper.

Regardless, Pereira has done nothing but win since moving up to the 205-pound division. The Brazilian is 4-0 in the weight class, all against opponents who previously served as the divisional champion.

Pereira's fight with Rountree at UFC 307 will mark his third title defense since winning the title at UFC 295. All three of his title defenses will have been in 2024.