Jamahal Hill believes Khalil Rountree has some traits that could give Alex Pereira a tough fight, but ultimately predicts the Brazilian will come out victorious in the main event of UFC 307.
Pereira will defend his light heavyweight title against Rountree on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rountree comes into the championship opportunity on a five-fight winning streak but has yet to go beyond the third round in his promotional career.
“It’s going to be a knockout. It’s going to be a knockout, 100%. Khalil’s not fit enough to go five rounds. He’s tiring out at a much slower pace than he would be fighting Alex,” Hill recently told Aljamain Sterling on the Weekly Scraps Podcast.
“Alex will come out slowly. He’ll take his time… He looks like he just wants to take a look, but he’s a lot more aggressive than he appears.”
However, Hill said Rountree’s left-handed tendencies could pose problems for the reigning champions.
“Khalil’s strength is he’s a southpaw and he poses a valuable threat from a southpaw. I’ve never seen Pereira dominate a southpaw who poses multiple threats from a southpaw. When you give him a weapon from a southpaw, he struggles. He definitely struggles,” Hill said.
UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Order now!
Hill last appeared at UFC 300, losing by first-round knockout to Pereira in the main event on the night of April 13. “Sweet Dreams” has openly criticized Rountree for receiving his next title bout, especially after “Warhorse” was removed from UFC 303 bookings due to a failed drug test. Hill was also eventually forced to withdraw from the event with multiple knee injuries, cancelling his bout with replacement opponent Carlos Ulberg. Despite his feelings about the fight itself, Hill plans to attend UFC 307 to see how the light heavyweight title fight unfolds.
“Yeah, I’m going to be out there because that’s what makes sense and it will affect what happens next for me and stuff like that,” he said. “My mind hasn’t changed. It’s a weird booking, but that’s the way it is.”
