Last Saturday’s UFC 226 was a good news / bad news / good news maybe for light heavyweight Khalil Rountree. The good news was he beat highly touted striker Gokhan Saki in 96 seconds. That’s kind of like tapping out Demain Maia.
The bad news was that Rountree’s purse was $38,000 in winning, while Saki earned $85,000 in losing. The potentially good news is that the fight was the sixth on the seven-fight contract Rountree got after being runner-up on The Ultimate Fighter 23, so the UFC will likely start negotiation on a new contract shortly.
All of my plans, everything that I had envisioned for my future, literally stopped at this fight, said Rountree during a recent appearance on MMAjunkie Radio as transcribed by Fernanda Prates to MMAjunkie. I want to make what Gokhan Saki was making,” he added with a laugh.
Rountree is determined to increase his skill set, and for this camp reached out to the UFC G.O.A.T. Anderson Silva.
He’s got a home gym, and he’s like, ‘You can train here, work on some basics,’ said Rountree. He taught me some really basic stuff. Just really gave me some encouragement as far as just being me. Working and learning, but being able to really express myself, kind of like he did.
I don’t want to become a case where now I’m talking and just having a bunch of knockouts and then putting on a crap performance and losing. And then all of those marketing dollars and everything that the UFC pumps in, then they just crash down due to me not being skilfully prepared. My main focus has just been, ‘Let me lock in my skills.’ That’s it. Everything else, at the end of the day, I think my skills will speak for themselves.
Maybe I may not be the most marketable guy and sell tickets and put asses in seats, verbally, or with my character or personality. But at least the people who are going to watch will always know that, no matter who it is that I’m fighting, that I’m prepared and that I can win in any situation. And that I’m willing to put on amazing fights.
Rountree said he wants a fighter in the top 15,. He’s earned it.
