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 ...

who currently competes in the

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

division of the

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 largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

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 ...

. 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 Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Natha ...

. 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 ...

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 Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterise ...

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 divis ...

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 Championshi ...

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

. 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. He ...

at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson on November 27, 2016. He was submitted via rear-naked choke in round one. On his third fight Rountree faced Daniel Jolly at UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie on February 4, 2017. He won via knockout in the first round. Rountree faced

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 Chr ...

on July 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Rountree was expected to face

Gökhan Saki Gökhan Saki (born 18 October 1983UFC 219 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 ...

. 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 d ...

. Rountree lost the fight by unanimous decision. However, after the fight, it was revealed that Oleksiejczuk had tested positive for

clomiphene Clomifene, also known as clomiphene, is a medication used to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate, including those with polycystic ovary syndrome. Use results in a greater chance of twins. It is taken by mouth once a day, with a cours ...

, 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 pl ...

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. Ear ...

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 MMA ...

. 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 train ...

on September 28, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 160 ''UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 160'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 18'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 28, 2019 at Royal Arena in ...

. 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 ...

on March 28, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik. Due to the

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 identified ...

, 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 Cham ...

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 arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life and educat ...

on March 12, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 203 ''UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 203'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 61'' or ''UFC Vegas 50'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 12, 2022 at the U ...

. Rountree won the fight via TKO in round two. This win earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award. Rountree faced

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 Se ...

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

) **

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 rel ...

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 11–5 (1) ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

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, TKO (body kick and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–5 (1) ,

, TKO (leg kick) , UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:30 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 (1) ,

, TKO (elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

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) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , 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 498,71 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–3 (1) , Johnny Walker , KO (elbow) , UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...

, Argentina , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 (1) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 6–2 (1) ,

, NC (overturned) ,

UFC 219 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 ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:56 ,

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 pop ...

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Daniel Jolly , KO (knee) , UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:07 ,

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 me ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, 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 Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

, United States , , - , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , rowspan=3, The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:15 , rowspan=3,

, 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 ,

, 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 ,

, 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 ,

, 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 ,

, 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, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2-0 , Niels Berlemann , KO (punch) , KOTC - Future Legends 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 ,

, 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 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rountree, Khalil Living people 1990 births American male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists from California Sportspeople from Los Angeles American Muay Thai practitioners American expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters