NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Khalil Rountree has gotten close to Khamzat Chimaev in recent months, and he’s figured out one thing is certain.
Not one to sugarcoat things, Rountree (14-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) says his newfound training partner will clean house should he decide to move up another weight class to light heavyweight.
“I feel many different ways,” Rountree told MMA Junkie and other reporters Thursday at JAXXON House. “When I first heard the news (he’s interested in a potential light heavyweight move), I was like a bit bummed out, really. Just to know that a guy like Khamzat would come to your division and had to be a potential matchup if that happened, it doesn’t make me happy to think about that.
“I just told you training with this guy, he’s the best in the world. It’s difficult. It’s difficult in all areas, in standup, in grappling. No one gets an easy round with Khamzat. It doesn’t matter what weight class, what size. That was my initial thoughts, like, ‘Damn, if he made the move up, we’re all kind of screwed.’ That’s kind of how I look at it.”
Rountree and Brendan Allen have served as crucial counterparts to Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), as he prepares for his UFC 328 title defense vs. Sean Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC). Rountree and Strickland have exchanged words in the past, but have never fought. Conversely, Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) lost to Strickland in November 2020 – and the temperature between them has risen over the past five-plus years.
