Alex Pereira has a knack for turning former enemies into friends.
Pereira will defend his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of UFC 307 on October 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pereira recently uploaded footage from his first week of training in Utah, where he was joined by former kickboxing rival Yousri Belgaroui, who defeated Pereira by unanimous decision in their first GLORY Kickboxing bout and then got revenge with knockouts in their two subsequent bouts.
But Bergarui won’t be the only former opponent joining Pereira’s camp ahead of UFC 307. The champion revealed that Sean Strickland, whom he knocked out in 2022, will also be joining him next week. Strickland has openly acknowledged Pereira’s power on multiple occasions since his defeat and appears to have developed a friendship with “Poitan.” Strickland joins Pereira’s team, which also includes his sister Alain Pereira, UFC middleweight Cesar Almeida and coaches Plinio Cruz and Glover Teixeira. Strickland, known for his conditioning, will be a valuable addition to Pereira’s camp ahead of the bout, which will take place at an altitude of more than 4,000 feet.
Strickland also has a history with Rountree, who was his former teammate at Xtreme Couture. Strickland initially mocked Rountree for getting emotional during a post-fight interview following his win over Karl Roberson in March 2022. Since then, Strickland has criticized “War Horse” multiple times, calling out his behavior in the gym as well as calling him a “special needs adult.”
Someone mentioned my interaction with Roundtree, and I thought he was just some male feminist in a cult, so of course I made fun of him, because that was the right thing to do…
In retrospect, maybe he is a special needs victim, maybe he needs help.#SaveTheTrees
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA)
July 23, 2023
Rountree has won five straight bouts, four of which have come by finish, while Pereira has defended the title twice since winning it against Jiri Prochazka, most recently by TKO in a rematch against “BJP” at UFC 303 in June of this year.
