Pereira Stops Out Rountree Jr. – ‘Incredible’

Alex Pereira knocked out Khalil Rountree Jr. in the fourth round to defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Title.
It was a fast start from the challenger. Rountree tried to close the distance with a flurry of punches from the outside, while Pereira countered with kicks to the calf. Roundtree’s lead left hand was connecting on the head, but Pereira’s height and reach stopped Khalil from connecting on the chin. Roundtree used a lot of energy while Pereira bided his time. In the second round, the Brazilian threw head kicks to keep the challenger off balance.
Roundtree avoided another head kick to land a counter right, which dropped Pereira. The Brazilian quickly got up to avoid any danger. Rountree gained confidence and connected with a big body kick in the third. Pereira remained patient, using those calf kicks to keep him at bay. The patience paid off as the Brazilian mixed things up with his lead jab. Rountree’s eye was cut and pouring with blood by the fourth. Pereira then landed a massive combination to push his opponent towards the cage. He followed up with body shots and an uppercut, which ended the proceedings.
Pereira Reacts
Post-Fight
“I can say that this was one of the toughest fights. I expected that. He showed tonight why he’s got so much quality in here We saw that Dricus [du Plessis] is going to be fighting Sean Strickland. He’s a training partner of mine, I don’t want to get in his way. I can move up to heavyweight but this division is great. I feel great with this weight cut and this is where I’m at,” Pereira stated
“My thought coming into this fight was just to be grateful. I was really excited to come in here and I just embraced the moments. [And] I don’t think I was surprised at all. I thought I was going to be able to hit him a lot more. He did a really good job of evading the punches,” Rountree said
Full Card Results
Main Card
Alex Pereira defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. via fourth-round TKO (4:32).
Julianna Peña defeated Raquel Pennington via split decision.
Mario Bautista defeated Jose Aldo via split decision.
Roman Dolidze defeated Kevin Holland via first-round TKO (5:00) due to injury.
Kayla Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28).
Preliminary Card
Joaquin Buckley defeated Stephen Thompson via third-round TKO (2:17).
Iasmin Lucindo defeated Marina Rodriguez via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29).
Alexander Hernandez defeated Austin Hubbard via split decision (27-30, 29-28 x2).
Cesar Almeida defeated Ihor Potieria via unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
Ryan Spann defeated Ovince Saint Preux via first-round submission (guillotine) (1:35).
Tecia Pennington defeated Carla Esparza via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27).
Court McGee defeated Tim Means via first-round submission (rear-naked choke) (3:19).
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