"Kindly held back on the murder shot" - Khalil Rountree Jr. earns UFC world's respect by refusing to land a final blow on Anthony Smith

With a highly impressive knockout victory at UFC Vegas 83, Khalil Rountree Jr. sent a strong message to the promotion's 205-pound division.

The co-main event of UFC Fight Night 233 featured a light heavyweight showdown between Anthony Smith and Khalil Rountree Jr. The event took place on December 9 at the UFC Apex Facility in Enterprise, Nevada, and was headlined by a bantamweight scrap between Chris Gutierrez and Song Yadong.

Coming into the fight, Rountree was riding an impressive four-fight win streak that three TKO victories. Smith, on the other hand, was coming off a closely contested split-decision win against Ryan Spann in August 2023.

Using his striking skills, 'The War Horse' outclassed his opponent for the first two rounds of the fight. In the opening minute of the final round, Rountree proceeded to score a brutal knockout victory.

In his post-fight octagon interview with Paul Felder, the 33-year-old made his case for a fight against the current light heavyweight king Alex Pereira.

"The only thing I wanna do is fight Alex Pereira. I know that I have other that I need to possibly fight but I think that's a fight that the fans would wanna see," he said.

Rountree's dominant victory sent the MMA world into a frenzy. Several MMA fighters and fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the 33-year-old's performance and the fight.

One individual mentioned how 'The War Horse' showed kindness by restricting himself from landing unnecessary shots on a downed opponent.

"Rountree kindly held back on the murder shot there," the fan wrote.

Another person claimed that MMA fans would be interested in witnessing a showdown between Rountree and Pereira.

"Hell yeah the fans would want to see Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Alex Pereira," another chimed in.

Check out a compilation of some of the reactions below:

MMA fighters and fans react to Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Anthony Smith