Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson questions Khalil Rountree Jr.'s decision not to wrestle Alex Pereira, 'The War Horse' responds: "He had a chance"

Khalil Rountree Jr.'s maiden title opportunity at UFC 307 ended in disappointment as Alex Pereira finished him in the main event to retain the light heavyweight championship.

Rountree Jr., who secured the title shot with a decisive win over Anthony Smith in December 2023, struggled to deal with Pereira’s elite striking. The fight lasted four rounds, with 'Poatan' securing a TKO victory. Despite the loss, Rountree Jr. impressed by winning the first two rounds on all three judges' scorecards.

Now, MMA legend Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson has criticized Rountree Jr.'s decision not to incorporate wrestling against the striking-dominant Pereira. When asked in a recent interview how 'Poatan' would've performed against fighters from Jackson's era, the former champion replied, glancing at Rountree Jr. with a smirk on his face:

''I think he would have done well, but I think a lot of people in my era would have focused more on taking him down.''

Rountree Jr. then reminded the MMA veteran that he'd made it clear long before the bout that he wanted a striking battle against Pereira:

"I told the world it wasn't gonna happen"

Jackson then claimed that Rountree Jr. should've pounced on Pereira when he dropped the Brazilian:

''He had a chance, I think he dropped him, he could have jumped, there wasn't a takedown, he could have jumped on him, but he is such a man of his words, that's what kind of hindered him to find out in a true mix martial arts fight where you can do everything.''

'The War Horse' responded:

''I don't think there was actually enough time to even jump on him, when he dropped it was like a split second.''

Check out Quinton Jackson and Khalil Rountree Jr.'s comments below:

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Alex Pereira's next opponent has also vowed not to wrestle

Alex Pereira's next challenger has been confirmed: Magomed Ankalaev. The Brazilian champion and the Dagestani No.1 contender will lock horns in the main event of UFC 313 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 8.

While many expect Ankalaev to utilize wrestling against a knockout artist like Pereira, the Russian is keen on proving that he can stand-and-bang with 'Poatan'. He has repeatedly claimed that he doesn't need to take the champion down in order to come out on top.

Nevertheless, Pereira has been working on his ground game and is a black belt in jiu jitsu.