In his first light heavyweight (up to 93kg) belt dispute at UFC 307, Khalil rountree started by winning the first two rounds, according to the judges' view. However, Alex Poatán was cold and calculating and changed the course of the fight in the third round. What was seen from then on in Salt Lake City (USA) was a punishment for the North American, who suffered defeat by technical knockout in the fourth round.
Rountree suffered multiple cuts to his face and was taken to the hospital after the fight. UFC president Dana White shared graphic images of the fighter's injuries on his Instagram.
Photo by Khalil rountree posted by Dana White. Photo: Instagram / Dana White
At the post-fight press conference, Dana praised Rountree's courage, who entered as an underdog and ended up posing a threat to the champion.
See too
“He was fearless from the first round. Khalil rountree “He went in there and went for it the minute the bell rang, no fear, no nerves. I mean, maybe he was a little nervous, but he didn’t show it. He went straight to one of the most feared guys of all time. Incredible,” said the UFC president.
Alex Poatan's victory
In the first rounds, Rountree surprised with his volume of strikes and combinations, even managing to knock the Brazilian down for a moment, after countering a kick from Poatan that went wide. However, from the third round onwards, the champion began to work with jabs, dominating the distance and controlling the pace of the fight. In the fourth round, Poatan achieved a technical knockout, driving the Delta Center crowd wild.
With this victory, Poatan retains his title and becomes the UFC champion with three successful title defenses in shortest time interval, surpassing the mark that belonged to Ronda Rousey.
Read More about: Alex Poatán, Dana White, Khalil rountree, UFC 307
You need login To comment.