Delivering a highly impressive knockout triumph at UFC Vegas 83, Khalil Rountree Jr. conveyed a powerful message to the promotion’s 205 lbs division. The co-main event of UFC Fight Night 233 showcased a light heavyweight clash between Anthony Smith and Khalil Rountree Jr., held on December 9 at the UFC Apex Facility in Enterprise, Nevada. The main event featured a bantamweight bout between Chris Gutierrez and Song Yadong.
Entering the fight, Rountree was on an impressive four-fight win streak, boasting three TKO victories. In contrast, Smith had recently secured a closely contested split-decision win against Ryan Spann in August 2023. Leveraging his striking prowess, ‘The War Horse’ dominated his opponent throughout the first two rounds of the bout. In the opening minute of the final round, Rountree went on to achieve a brutal knockout victory.
The commanding win by Rountree stirred up excitement in the MMA community. Numerous MMA fighters and fans expressed their opinions on the 33-year-old’s display and the overall bout through various social media platforms.
Have you EVER seen anything like this before? This man dropped him and then lifted the Hammer of Thor and only by the grace of the Ref was Smith saved.
Khalil Rountree is horrifying. pic.twitter.com/FcJyYOboQQ
— MartialMind 🇳🇬🇺🇲 (@MartialMind1) December 10, 2023
A fan lauded the referee for his timely stoppage: “Ref knew what was about to come if he didn’t stop it right there. What a monster Rountree is. Scary dude”. Another fan agreed with the fact that Khalil has unbelievable knockout power and self-control, as they wrote, “This man dropped him and then lifted the Hammer of Thor and only by the grace of the Ref was Smith saved”.
“Rountree is my new favorite UFC fighter. Dude is not only an assassin but a class act all the way,” wrote an excited fan. So, overall, fans enjoyed the exciting co-main event of UFC Vegas 83, as it may have given them a new contender for the 205 lbs. title shot.
Anthony Smith apologizes after disappointing TKO loss to Khalil Rountree Jr.
Anthony Smith responded to his disheartening TKO defeat against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC Vegas 83. The former title challenger, Smith, stepped into the octagon on December 9 with aspirations of earning another shot at the title. However, his path was obstructed by Rountree Jr., who entered the bout riding a career-best four-fight winning streak.
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It was only a matter of a few seconds after Rountree Jr. displayed some unbelievable power shots and handed Smith a rather disappointing loss. ‘Lionheart’ turned to Instagram to respond to his defeat.
Expressing gratitude for the support from his fans, Smith stated, “Congrats to Khalil and his team. Helluva performance. You deserve it. Sorry to everyone who supports me. I gave it my all. Sometimes that’s not enough”. All in all, the fight was the highlight of the UFC’s last Fight Night event of the year.
Khalil Rountree Jr. calls out Alex Pereira after TKO victory at UFC Vegas 83
Khalil Rountree Jr. holds the belief that fans are keen on witnessing a matchup between him and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira. However, the response from fans to his statement indicates some skepticism at this point.
“I’m in the top ten now and the only thing that I want to do is fight Alex Pereira. I know that I have other people that I need to possibly fight. But I think that’s the fight that fans would want to see,” said the UFC light-heavyweight after the fight.
After tonight’s finish at #UFCVegas83, @KhalilRountree has a message for Alex Pereira 👀 pic.twitter.com/FNdlvUai2d
— UFC (@ufc) December 10, 2023
Securing the most significant victory of his career thus far, the 33-year-old may potentially earn a spot in the top 10 of the official UFC rankings within the division.