UFC 320: Khalil Rountree Jr. full open workout media scrum
UFC 320’s Khalil Rountree Jr. spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at an open workout for his fight vs. Jiri Prochazka on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – Khalil Rountree hasn’t done media during UFC 320 fight camp until now. That was intentional, in an effort to remain focused.
UFC 320 has high stakes, according to Rountree (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC), who fights former champion Jiri Prochazka (31-5-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) in a three-round light heavyweight bout on the Oct. 4 card at T-Mobile Arena.
“The motivation is seeing the possibility, really seeing the possibility of being able to achieve the belt, being able to actually hold it,” Rountree told MMA Junkie and other reporters Friday following an open workout at Syndicate MMA. “That possibility seems really, really close. That’s the motivation part. The discipline part is, being that close is a lot to have to… I’m almost there. The discipline part gets hard every single day, not having a social life, not doing anything really, not really having a normal life because I’m so focused on being close. That’s the hard part. Hey man, I could say a million words, I’m just feeling a lot for this fight.”
Rountree, 35, has been in the UFC since 2016, but his stock has arguably never been higher. His 2024 title challenge war vs. Alex Pereira proved he’s among the divisional elite, a standing that was reaffirmed during his June win over Jamahal Hill. With that being said, Rountree admits Prochazka is a puzzle like none other.
“If you think about a puzzle, I’ve never really seen this puzzle in person,” Rountree said. “I’ve got to go crack it. If and when I do, it’s going to be very interesting to watch from a fighter and fan perspective. People who enjoy the strategy in fighting and stuff like that. Yeah, I think the fans will enjoy it. The two guys in there, we’re going to feel the pain. We’ve got to feel it. There’s excitement behind it. There are good feelings behind it, but at the end of the day, being in that experience and actually cracking the puzzle, it’ll feel good to get the job done and see it all together.”
On the same card as Rountree vs. Prochazka, a rematch between champion Magomed Ankalaev and Pereira headlines. There is no far-and-away next-man-up, but Rountree thinks the bout vs. Prochazka should lock him in such a position.
“The statement I need to make is, it should look like this, ‘This guy absolutely deserves the No. 1 contender shot, are you crazy? Did you just see that performance against Prochazka? Absolutely, this guy is undeniable,” Rountree said. “That’s kind of how I see it.”
