Khalil Rountree eyes an early 2025 return, targeting Jamahal Hill: "I think it's almost inevitable"

Khalil Rountree was unsuccessful in the biggest opportunity of his mixed martial arts career, falling to Alex Pereira via fourth-round TKO at UFC 307. The No. 8-ranked light heavyweight received plenty of praise for his performance as he won the first two rounds and was ahead on all three judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage.

'The War Horse' has now said he is looking to make his return to the octagon early next year with Jamahal Hill as his opponent. Speaking to Kevin Iole, the No. 8-ranked light heavyweight expressed his excitement to return, noting that he learned from his title opportunity:

"I'm very excited to come back and fight again, but it will probably be Q1 next year. I know that people got to see me fight, but this really showed me two things. It showed me that I'm prepared to fight at that level, but it also showed me that there's a lot to learn and there's a lot to grow. I want to come back and be very skillful and strategic and just make sure that I make the right decisions."

When asked about potentially rebooking a bout with 'Sweet Dreams', Rountree added:

"Yeah, absolutely. I think it's almost inevitable, right? I think he's ranked No. 3. I think anyone up there in the top five is kind of inevitable so let's see what happens. I think pretty shortly here I'll be talking to the matchmakers and the bosses and see what they think."

Check out Khalil Rountree's comments on his octagon return below (11:20):

Rountree was scheduled to face Hill at UFC 303, however, he was pulled from the card after unintentionally taking a banned substance and self-reporting the issue to UFC Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky. The former light heavyweight champion later withdrew from the card due to injury and has yet to make his return.

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Khalil Rountree praises Alex Pereira following UFC 307

Khalil Rountree took to Instagram the day after his fourth-round TKO loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 307. The No. 8-ranked light heavyweight thanked his opponent for helping his journey in a lengthy motivational message, stating, in part:

"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."

Check out Khalil Rountree's full statement following UFC 307 below:

Rountree noted that he will come back stronger following his first loss since January 2021. While he was unable to capture the light heavyweight title, he earned plenty of respect, silencing critics who deemed him undeserving of a title opportunity.