Khalil Ibn Rountree Jr. (born February 26, 1990) is an American
mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
(UFC).
Background
Rountree was born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. When he was two years old, his father was shot and killed in an attempted robbery while working as the tour manager for Boyz II Men. Growing up overweight and self-described as "non-confrontational," Rountree was in a band traveling the country. Eating unhealthy and smoking cigarettes, he decided to begin training after watching
The Ultimate Fighter
''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...
with his brother. At the age of 20 and weighing 300 lbs, Rountree joined Wand Fight Team gym in an attempt to lose weight. After one year of MMA training, Rountree started his MMA amateur career in 2011. Before his UFC 236 fight against Eryk Anders, Rountree trained in Thailand, focusing on Muay Thai.
Mixed martial arts career
Resurrection Fighting Alliance
Rountree had a record of 6–1 in his amateur fights, competing as a Middleweight under the Tuff-N-Uff and
King of the Cage
King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States.
History
KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...
(KOTC) banners.
Rountree made his professional debut, as a light heavyweight, with Resurrection Fighting Alliance against Livingston Lukow at RFA 15 on June 6, 2014. Rountree won the fight by unanimous decision.
Rountree was scheduled to face Blake Troop in a 190 lbs catchweight bout at RFA 21 on December 5, 2014. Rountree won the fight by a first-round knockout, after just 39 seconds.
Rountree made his middleweight debut against Cameron Olson at RFA 25 on April 10, 2015. Rountree won the fight by a unanimous decision.
Rountree made his final appearance with RFA against Justin Polendey at RFA 33 on December 11, 2015. Rountree won the fight by first-round knockout.
The Ultimate Fighter
In April 2016, Rountree competed as a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia. In the first round, he faced Muhammed DeReese and won via knockout. In the elimination round, he faced Cory Hendricks and lost via submission in the first round.
Later in the show, Hendricks withdrew himself from the competition due to neck injury and
Dana White
Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
decided to bring back Rountree for the semi-final round. Rountree moved on to faced
Josh Stansbury
Josh Stansbury (born November 19, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the light heavyweight North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS) champions in 2013 and formally fought for Bellator. Stansbury competes in Light Heavyweight divi ...
and won via knockout in the first round to advance and face
Andrew Sanchez
Andrew William Sanchez (born April 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...
at the finale.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Rountree made his promotional debut on July 8, 2016 at UFC The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale for the TUF 23 Light Heavyweight title against
Andrew Sanchez
Andrew William Sanchez (born April 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...
. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Rountree next faced
Tyson Pedro
Tyson Pedro (born 17 September 1991) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Pedro is an Australian of Spanish, American Samoa heritage.
...
Paul Craig
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
Gökhan Saki
Gökhan Saki (born 18 October 1983UFC 219. However, Saki was forced to pull out, citing knee injury, and was replaced by
Michał Oleksiejczuk
Michał Oleksiejczuk (born February 22, 1995) is a Polish mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2014, he was the former Thunderstrike Fight League Light heavyweight champion in Poland. He currently competes in the middleweight di ...
. Rountree lost the fight by unanimous decision. However, after the fight, it was revealed that Oleksiejczuk had tested positive for clomiphene, an anti-estrogenic substance. As a result, the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) officially overturned the result of the fight to a no contest.
The bout between Rountree and
Gökhan Saki
Gökhan Saki (born 18 October 1983UFC 226
''UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 7, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Background
The event took p ...
on July 7, 2018. Rountree won the fight via knockout in round one. This fight earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award.
Rountree faced promotional newcomer Johnny Walker on November 17, 2018 at
UFC Fight Night 140
''UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 140'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 17, 2018 at Estadio Mary Terán de Weiss in Buenos Aires ...
. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
Rountree faced
Eryk Anders
Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama.
Early ...
on April 13, 2019 at
UFC 236
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest M ...
. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Rountree faced
Ion Cuțelaba
Ion Nicolae Cuțelaba (born 14 December 1993) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background
Born and raised in Chișinău, Cuțelaba began traini ...
on September 28, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 160. He lost via TKO in the first round.
Rountree was expected to face
Sam Alvey
Samuel William Alvey (born May 6, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Alvey has also formerly co ...
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the event was eventually postponed.
Despite talks of retiring after the scrapped bout with Alvey, Rountree signed a contract extension with the UFC in October 2020.
Rountree faced
Marcin Prachnio
Marcin Prachnio (born July 14, 1988) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Prachnio has also competed in ONE C ...
on January 24, 2021 at
UFC 257
''UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 24, 2021 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Background
Starting with ...
. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Rountree faced
Modestas Bukauskas
Modestas Bukauskas (born 10 February 1994) is a Lithuanian and British mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former two-time Cage Warriors Light Heavyweight Cha ...
on September 4, 2021 at
UFC Fight Night 191
''UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 191 '' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 49'' and ''UFC Vegas 36'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 4, 2021 at the ...
. He won the fight via TKO in round two after catching Bukauskas with an oblique kick, marking the first time the technique had been used to finish a fight in the UFC.
Rountree faced
Karl Roberson
Karl William Roberson (born October 4, 1990) is an American former kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Early life and education
Raised in Neptune Township, New Jers ...
Dustin Jacoby
Dustin Jacoby (born April 4, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist and kickboxer who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In kickboxing, he has competed for GLORY, and in MMA, he has competed also for Bellator, World S ...
on October 29, 2022 at
UFC Fight Night 213
''UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 213'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 71'' and ''UFC Vegas 63'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 29, 2022, at the UFC ...
. He won the fight via split decision which was controversial.
Championships and achievements
*
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
)
**
Performance of the Night
UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...
(Two times)
Personal life
Rountree enjoys dancing and listening to music. He is a fan of the
Village People
Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the releas ...
.
Mixed martial arts record
, -
, Win
, align=center, 11–5 (1)
,
Dustin Jacoby
Dustin Jacoby (born April 4, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist and kickboxer who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In kickboxing, he has competed for GLORY, and in MMA, he has competed also for Bellator, World S ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 10–5 (1)
,
Karl Roberson
Karl William Roberson (born October 4, 1990) is an American former kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Early life and education
Raised in Neptune Township, New Jers ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 9–5 (1)
,
Modestas Bukauskas
Modestas Bukauskas (born 10 February 1994) is a Lithuanian and British mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former two-time Cage Warriors Light Heavyweight Cha ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 8–5 (1)
,
Marcin Prachnio
Marcin Prachnio (born July 14, 1988) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Prachnio has also competed in ONE C ...
, Decision (unanimous)
,
UFC 257
''UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 24, 2021 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Background
Starting with ...
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 8–4 (1)
,
Ion Cuțelaba
Ion Nicolae Cuțelaba (born 14 December 1993) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background
Born and raised in Chișinău, Cuțelaba began traini ...
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 8–3 (1)
,
Eryk Anders
Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama.
Early ...
, Decision (unanimous)
,
UFC 236
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest M ...
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
,
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, Argentina
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 7–2 (1)
,
Gökhan Saki
Gökhan Saki (born 18 October 1983UFC 226
''UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 7, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Background
The event took p ...
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:36
,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, NC
, align=center, 6–2 (1)
,
Michał Oleksiejczuk
Michał Oleksiejczuk (born February 22, 1995) is a Polish mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2014, he was the former Thunderstrike Fight League Light heavyweight champion in Poland. He currently competes in the middleweight di ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 6–2
,
Paul Craig
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
Tyson Pedro
Tyson Pedro (born 17 September 1991) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Pedro is an Australian of Spanish, American Samoa heritage.
...
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 4–1
,
Andrew Sanchez
Andrew William Sanchez (born April 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 4–0
, Justin Polendey
, KO (punch)
, RFA 33
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:42
, Costa Mesa, California, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 3–0
, Cameron Olson
, Decision (unanimous)
, RFA 25
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
,
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 2–0
, Blake Troop
, KO (punch)
, RFA 21
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:39
, Costa Mesa, California, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1–0
, Livingston Lukow
, Decision (unanimous)
, RFA 15
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Culver City, California, United States
,
, -
, -
, Win
, align=center, 2–1
,
Josh Stansbury
Josh Stansbury (born November 19, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the light heavyweight North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS) champions in 2013 and formally fought for Bellator. Stansbury competes in Light Heavyweight divi ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 1–1
, Cory Hendricks
, Submission (rear-naked choke)
, (airdate)
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:34
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1–0
, Muhammed Dereese
, TKO (punches and soccer kicks to the body)
, (airdate)
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 0:38
,
, -
, -
, Win
, align=center, 6-1
, Dylan Jahrling
, KO (punch)
, Tuff-N-Uff - Future Stars of MMA
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:47
,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
, Won the Tuff-N-Uff Amateur Middleweight Championship.
, -
, Win
, align=center, 5-1
, Lee Cordova
, Submission (guillotine choke)
, Tuff-N-Uff - Festibrawl 6
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:49
,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 4-1
, Prentice Williams
, Decision (unanimous)
, Tuff-N-Uff - Knock Out Cancer 2
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 3:00
,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 3-1
, Giovani Zavala
, TKO (knee and punches)
, Tuff-N-Uff - Beauties and Beasts
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:30
,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 2-1
, Aaron Fonseca
, N/A
, Nevada Regional Circuit
,
, align=center, N/A
, align=center, N/A
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1-0
, Travis Jelmyer
, TKO (punches)
, Tuff-N-Uff - Future Stars of MMA
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:21
,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...