Khalil Rountree Jr.`s preparation for his fight against Jamahal Hill did not unfold as planned. Following a loss in a UFC title bout to Alex Pereira last October, light heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree Jr. successfully returned to the win column.
The accomplished Muay Thai striker delivered an impressive performance recently, securing a decisive victory over former champion Jamahal Hill by decision in the main event at UFC Baku.
Reflecting on the high-stakes contender fight, Rountree admitted that his journey to Baku was challenging. He revealed he sustained a significant injury during training camp that prevented him from sparring.
Khalil Rountree Jr. Discloses Torn Meniscus Suffered Three Weeks Before Jamahal Hill Fight
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rountree disclosed that he had a torn meniscus approximately three weeks before his five-round battle with Hill.
He explained, “I’d say about halfway through training camp I think when I was training jiu-jitsu is the first time I felt some discomfort in my knee.”
“Just from training with bigger guys and just doing four sessions per day on top of like running and jiu-jitsu and pads. That’s when I first started feeling the discomfort,” he added.
Rountree further elaborated that the condition worsened: “It only just kinda grew from there until one day I woke up and it was just really hard for me to walk and even stand.”
He described the torn meniscus injury as “obviously stressful.”
“But I had just amazing positive support to just keep going and to not let it affect my mental and to do whatever I could to just push through it and to take challenges and to take things like this as just kind of motivation. Like use the obstacle as motivation,” Rountree shared about managing the situation.
“So, initially I was devastated and I wasn’t really able to train how I wanted to. But it was kind of a blessing in disguise because tonight I came into the cage really fresh because I haven’t been able to spar in three weeks,” he admitted.
He concluded, “There hasn’t really been a lot of contact because the last three weeks have just been recovery on top of getting sick during fight week.”
Khalil Rountree Jr. Could Be One Win Away From Another UFC Title Opportunity
Before facing Jamahal Hill, Khalil Rountree Jr. believed a sufficiently impressive victory could potentially earn him a title shot.
However, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Magomed Ankalaev expressed little interest in Rountree after the fight, commenting that he was `falling asleep` during the bout.
Expected to move into the top 5 rankings this week, Rountree is likely positioned just one win away from challenging for the championship again.
Two potential opponents for Rountree are the #2-ranked contender Jiri Prochazka and the #3-ranked Carlos Ulberg, particularly after Ulberg`s recent main event win at UFC Baku.
