Khalil Rountree Jr. is an American mixed martial artist born in Los Angeles in 1990. Tragedy struck early when his father, Roderick “Khalil” Rountree, was shot and killed during a robbery while working as a tour manager for the R&B group Boyz II Men when Khalil was two years old. Rountree grew up in Nevada and struggled with his weight as a teenager – at age 20 he weighed about 305 pounds. In March 2010 he walked into Wanderlei Silva’s gym in Las Vegas to lose weight. This decision changed his life: his fitness and skills quickly improved, and he won his first amateur MMA bout in 2011. By 2014 he had turned professional, launching the career that would take him to the UFC.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Rountree built early momentum in regional promotions and earned a spot on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 23 in 2016. On the show he knocked out Muhammed DeReese in the elimination round and later scored a first-round KO over Josh Stansbury in the semifinals. This advanced him to the TUF 23 Finale, where he made his official UFC debut on July 8, 2016. He faced Andrew Sanchez in the light heavyweight final but lost a unanimous decision. Undeterred, Rountree rebounded the following year with two highlight victories: he won by first-round knockout against Daniel Jolly in February 2017 and again by first-round KO against Paul Craig in July 2017, demonstrating his powerful striking.
Rountree’s next big breakthrough came in July 2018 at UFC 226. He faced veteran kickboxer Gökhan Saki and landed a straight left that knocked Saki out in 96 seconds. This first-round knockout of a former kickboxing champion earned Rountree a Performance of the Night bonus. In the years that followed, Rountree continued adding emphatic finishes to his resume. Notably, at UFC Fight Night 191 in September 2021 he demolished Modestas Bukauskas with a well-timed oblique kick to the leg, securing a TKO in the second round. He also collected another bonus at UFC Fight Night 203 in March 2022 by winning with a body-shot TKO against Karl Roberson. These victories pushed Rountree into contention among the division’s top fighters.
In October 2024 Rountree’s winning streak earned him a championship opportunity. He headlined UFC 307 against reigning UFC champion Alex Pereira. In that main event for the UFC title, Pereira ultimately stopped Rountree by TKO in the fourth round. Throughout his UFC tenure, Rountree has been known for his resilience and striking prowess, rising from a high-school sandwich shop job to challenge for the world title through hard work and decisive victories.