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Kamaru Usman Believes ‘Extremely Powerful’ Khalil Rountree Will ‘Shock the World’ at UFC 307

Kishore R
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Kamaru Usman Believes ‘Extremely Powerful’ Khalil Rountree Will ‘Shock the World’ at UFC 307

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Everybody and their mother can’t wait to find out at the UFC 307. As does Kamaru Usman but he certainly knows that Khalil Rountree aka ‘The War Horse’ has the potential to be the new light heavyweight champion of the world before the birds sing the next day.

Sharing his thoughts on the popular Pound 4 Pound podcast, the former welterweight champion named his pick and explained why Rountree will ‘shock the world.’

“I think Khalil Rountree shocks the world…Crazy things happen in Utah and look at our champions right now. I think Khalil Rountree is extremely explosive, extremely powerful, his Muay Thai is incredible and when he’s launching them (shots), he’s going to find your face.”

Subtly referring to his own devastating title-losing defeat to Leon Edwards in 2022, Usman mentioned that anything is possible at Utah. According to ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, fans are poised for a shocker at UFC 307 as he predicts a Khalil shock treatment on October 5 owing to his accuracy and explosiveness.

His co-host, Cejudo, also chimed in, asserting that Rountree was no slouch to to slept on. And if he sticks to John Wood’s gameplan, he is going home with a belt wrapped around his waist.

Deep Diver: Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree

After decimating former light heavyweight champions Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill earlier this year, Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira is eyeing a third victory when he laces up his gloves on Oct. 5.

However, his opponent is the #8 ranked Khalil Rountree. Now, don’t let the ranking fool you, Khalil, owing to his stellar finishes has managed to catch the matchmakers’ eyes and get himself an epic title shot.

On paper, the bout is your typical striker vs striker duel. But both men have power in their hands and can shut either one’s lights out at any given time. While Pereira carries that nuclear left hook that has put out champions, Khalil is super explosive with his strikes and can produce insane output in the opening rounds by throwing caution to the wind.

In fact, the challenger to this point has seven KOs in the promotion, having one up on the champion. Another fascinating bit is that Rountree has never shot for a takedown, completely relying on his striking to run over his competition.

On the other hand, Pereira does have some grappling game in his arsenal and might as well use it if needed, which makes it such an interesting match up.

Post Edited By:Smrutisnat Jena

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Kishore R

Kishore R

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Kishore is a UFC writer at The SportsRush. It was a YouTube video of 1989’s Fight of the Year bout between Roberto Duran and Iran Barkley that got him hooked on the thrill of the gladiator sport. Later that insatiable thirst and yearning for controlled violence got him to the defunct PRIDE FC, which was the king of MMA promotions till the Ultimate Fighting Championship broke into the scene. Along with his undying passion for the sport and his experience as a writer, penning more than a thousand articles, Kishore is amalgamating his technical understanding of the sport with his stellar storytelling prowess. From Fedor’s unrivaled reign to the newest crowning of Alex Pereira, he has been religiously following the sport and wishes to see Tony Ferguson bounce back and showcase his old swagger - “IT’S TONY TIME!”

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