Khalil Rountree possibly gaslights Alex Pereira with no takedowns claim

Fans are in for a violent night of striking when UFC 307 rolls around, or so Khalil Rountree Jr. wants Alex Pereira to believe.

‘Poatan’ will compete in his third title fight in six months when he steps into the octagon on October 5. The South American has been a work horse since signing for the promotion and quickly became a fan favorite with his always-entertaining fight-style.

When the UFC matched Alex Pereira up against a fellow violent striker in Khalil Rountree Jr., there was much intrigue. 

The stylistic matchup between the two light heavyweight powerhouses seems like a fight-fans fantasy, but that may not be how the battle unfolds.

According to Khalil Rountree Jr., no takedown will be attempted on either side. Despite his comments, is the title challenger baiting the champion into his game plan? 

“I have no intention on shooting any takedowns,” Rountree told Michael Bisping. “Or trying to take what people would consider the easy route.”

“I’m here to, honestly, I want to put on a fight to remember. For me, this is a fight that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”

“This is a moment in my story that I’m going to remember. So, I want to do the same thing and deliver the same thing for the fans. I want this to be one of those fights where, you know, people talk about for years to come.”

Khalil Rountree continued.

“Hopefully the both of us do enough in our careers where this fight can make the Hall-of-Fame…”

“So, when I think about this fight, I think about something that is pure entertainment for the fans.”

Related: Alex Pereira calls for Dricus Du Plessis matchup after UFC 305

Rountree later doubled down on his ‘no wrestling’ stance heading into his clash with Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

“If it were my coach [telling me to grapple my way to victory], I’d say maybe I need to look for another coach, man.”

“It doesn’t make sense. I’m not a wrestler. I mean, yes, I’m a mixed martial artist. I’m able to do a lot of different things.”

“My grappling is good, my wrestling is decent, but that’s just not me. That’s not my instinct. So why would I put myself in harm’s way to secure this victory when that’s just not me? That’s just not my style…”

“If in 10 years, 11 years, whatever; However long I’ve been with the UFC. If I’ve never attempted a single leg or a double leg, or a takedown, why now at the height of my career?”

 “Why not just do what we’ve been doing, you know?”

Watch the full interview below.