Defeated by Alex Pereira in the main fight at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City (Utah), Khalil Rountree left the octagon in tears, his face completely transformed. Photos shared on social networks show in detail the fighter’s swollen and blood-covered face after his nearly twenty-minute war with the -93kg champion.
Gaping wounds and one eye completely closed. Images which recall the pitiful state in which Benoît Saint Denis emerged during his defeat against Renato Moicano, at UFC Paris 2024. But this Saturday, it was Khalil Rountree who paid the price for another Brazilian steamroller , the -93 kg champion, Alex Pereira.
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After a controlled first fifteen minutes of a great battle fought against some 20,000 spectators who came to watch this UFC 307, Khalil Rountree sank in the fourth round. Receiving more than twice as many significant blows as he had delivered, the American tasted the stony hands for which the 37-year-old Brazilian is famous, now with three title defenses in less than a year.
The brow bone slashed several centimeters and the nose completely destroyed… It didn’t take long for photos of the fighter’s torn face to spread across the web. For example, a photo taken backstage at the Arena, published by UFC boss Dana White, and shared hundreds of thousands of times on social networks.
An interview interrupted by a long stream of blood escaping from his nose
Applauded by some fans in the stands, his body covered in his own blood, Rountree was seen crying as he left the cage. The 34-year-old fighter, eighth in the -93kg ranking, was competing in his first career main event.
Funny scene at the time of his post-fight interview, the American, just recovered from his TKO suffered a few moments ago, gives a first hot reaction in the middle of the cage before a long stream of blood and snot runs out of his own nose… enough to provoke public disgust. “Wipe this thing (with your towel)… You can sell it on eBay, it will be worth a lot of money,” Joe Rogan replied, full of humor, to the fighter. But the American who fought a tough battle has nothing to be ashamed of: “It’s one of the hardest fights of my career,” admitted his opponent Pereira, sent to the mat for a short time in the second round. .
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