Khalil Rountree Jr. Reveals Why He Held Back Extra Punch After Anthony Smith KO | The MMA Hour

Khalil Rountree Jr. discusses his memorable win at UFC Vegas 83, how he performed in the fight, facing Anthony Smith, why he stopped from throwing extra punch after knocking out Smith, the words he shared with Smith, his social media struggles, why he called out Alex Pereira after the fight, why he manages himself, and more.
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[@makingthewalkmma]

I love to see a fighter start to realize their potential in front of the fans. I can appreciate the call out. We all know (including Khalil) that it's probably not next but, to put the world on notice when the mic gets put in your face after a great performance, not a bad idea. Can't wait for his next fight

[@maltheri9833]

Right not gonna happen just yet but it made people think about it right after that finish and go "That'd be a pretty good fight if he's swinging like that."

[@SoSyNiKaL]

I don't think he should get a title fight next (another impressive win could do it at lhw) but I'm really impressed with how he carries himself - seems a good dude.

[@Suplex479]

Imagine if he gets the title shot before Hill and Ankalaev, crazy

[@SparkyTakedown]

Agreed

[@thumbsuckerjoe]

I'd honestly like to see him fight Walker again. I think Ankalaev should've got a straight DQ for what he did vs Walker, don't understand the re-match.

[@Ritalie]

Khalil tells him that it doesn't matter how people say his name. Then Ariel says he wants to start a movement, telling people to call him "Halil." Really? This (over complicating of names) is getting highly disturbing. Every fan in the world knows that his name is "Khalil." And now Ariel wants to start a movement to change his name? This is not good marketing. When the fans know your name, you need to leave it be. Jon Anik, Luke Thomas, and Ariel Helwani, are taking things WAY too far by obsessing over foreign accents, when most of the fan base speaks in a native English dialect.

[@SparkyTakedown]

@@Ritalie Khakha ! 😆😆

[@LionGangMusic]

Such a humble dude. Hope he wins the title one day

[@infiniteAll144]

Very humble, kind energy about him. Incredible figher. Exciting, explosive. Love him!

[@95NLESS]

Khalil is great. Hope he gets the belt someday

[@ninjadad3769]

I actually give him a lot of respect and he made a fan out of me for not dropping that hammer at the end of the fight, because I understand why it happens but dang i hate to see someone get sent to the shadow realm being on the ground just to be sent to the 10th level of the shadow realm while there literally still in the shadow realm lol.

[@robertl.wilson1199]

Agreed, that Booby Greene stoppage was brutal.

[@Treznor331]

Khalil vs Jiri is the fight to make. If Khalil wins he will earn that title shot and it's a good fight for Jiri to bounce back from.

[@Gitara2019]

its a fuking great fight, their both so explosive and violent, man just thinking about it gives me goosebumps

[@Treznor331]

@@Gitara2019 It's got fight of the night written all over it.

[@darkclaw1462]

Khalil should fight the winner of Jiri vs Rakic now after 300.

[@infiniteAll144]

Hes a n empath. Bless his magnificent soul!

[@MRTN13]

this guy is like a warrior-poet. Very inspiring, good interview

[@atarumoroboshi9957]

Such a good hearted person

[@stephaniegordon834]

For anyone that hasn't watched any previous fights of Khalil's you should go watch the one with Eric Anders, he was on that night

[@DrAdair1]

Facts.. He beat him up.. Bad.. I been a fan since the TUF.. I felt he would be champ one day off of his power and explosiveness.. I believe he sleeps Alex round 1.. I put my money on Muay Thai Khalil..

[@MF_Naah]

Smart dude! Hope we get to see him with the belt soon

[@hiplessboy]

Dr. Khalil & Mr. Hyde. I love how gentle and fun he is, and how violent and brutal he is.

[@Danny-lr1yg]

What a nice human being. It’s crazy when ppl who beat other as a living are so humble and nice.

[@GeraldSlivka-sm7ts]

Man this dude right here.. I've been a fan since day 1 and to see what this Man has done is absolutely incredible!! You wanna talk about good people.. Hats off my Man, can't wait to see your future. Inspiring Sir..

[@waynec9640]

Great guy! He can control his emotion in an aggressive match and never needs to harm when you know that person is down! Great sportsmanship

[@awesomeness2808]

In all the knockouts I’ve seen khalil deliver he never follows through with unnecessary blows after he knows an opponent is done. This is my first time hearing Khalil speak and i think I’ve just found my new favourite fighter. Speaks volumes when you see a complete killer act with humility and principles.

[@shanenoak5765]

We all are rooting for you Khalil Rountree🎉

[@Albert5522]

Khalil seems a genuinely kind, peaceful soul. Almost get the impression he'd rather not have to fight to get where he wants. Wish him good luck in the future! I'll be routing for him!

[@flyinpolack6633]

great interview Really talented guy. He'll be champ someday

[@PoppaGrande333]

Khalil Rountree Jr. is The Man!! One of My Favorite People in UFC.He is so Genuine, Humble and Respectful. I would love to see him get a Tittle Shot. He has more than twice the amount of fights as Alex Pereira in the UFC!! He 100% deserves a Shot, He has earned it. Hill is going to be out a while still.

[@Smorgasvord]

Hhhhhhhahil 🥷

[@joefrankham317]

The first 2 minutes of that interview had me reaching for the razor blades daymmm

[@toddjohnson5176]

Much respect to Khalil. He's a good person and a amazing fighter. I've followed his career since the ultimate fighter. He deserves all the props he is getting and him Anthony is i hard fight to watch because you love them both. Phenomenal interview and epic as always Ariel.

[@matthewbodnar3059]

You are an amazing human Khalil Rountree Jr!

[@dixieechann]

I felt like I just went through a therapy session in a good way :)

[@munirkhairdin3091]

special man

[@UseTheLess00]

It's my first time hearing Khalil. He exudes good vibes

[@joelucas8529]

Dark horse of the 205lb division, as he gets better he becomes a bigger and bigger threat for whom ever holds that belt!

[@dennischavez224]

Is it just me or does Khalil sound a lot like Dominic Cruz?

[@timw4432]

Good to see Khalil doing well

[@christopherbellisario9195]

This dude is a Beast, big fan

[@dagreekratking4694]

The muai Tai master His time in Thailand 🇹🇭 has really paid off and some Can't wait to see the master Sorry about the spelling

[@angel_slyy]

man sounds so gentle 😭 till you see how he fights

[@deepaknambisan3251]

Really enjoy listening to KR 🙏🏾

[@drzedd5212]

Dude is so laidback and relatable how can anybody hate on this man.

[@SlapwillMotivate]

Some will unfortunately. And them same ones are the ones who will call themselves Colby Covington fans. SMH

[@akobayashi9381]

Already a champ.

[@unrealhq1444]

King!!

[@fidazzlegyroman]

Great interview. Love some Roundtree.

[@vincentvandervelden3554]

Nice guy yet super dangerous in the octagon....love it

[@eljefe5536]

Good Man

[@forzendikar9908]

Props to Roundtree, heck of a performance!

[@waalex11]

That's who he is. Weird how sweet guys like Khalil and Rumble are so vicious when they fight in comparison.

[@griff1286]

The most violent dude in combat sports.

[@yoloswagali2646]

I agree.

[@betsyrocks]

All scoucers will be able to pronounce Khalil with no problems.

[@jackjackson4851]

As long as he is focused and protects his mental health he will be champ

[@michaeljdt9235]

Nice fella

[@artworkbyjeff]

Great sportsmanship. Not smashing Smith while he was super dazed. Basically already koed

[@wernerbotha1076]

This man is such a sweetheart of a human being. It's hard to envision what a stone cold killer he is in the cage when you listen to him speak.

[@jeremydeyoung810]

“Should be fighting for the belt next” what the hell are we talking about here he’s ranked like 8. Why should he get to jump the line after beating Anthony smith on like a weeks notice

[@PoppaGrande333]

He has more than twice the amount of fights as Alex Pereira in the UFC!! He 100% deserves a Shot, He has earned it as much as any of these other guys. Rankings don't seem to apply to everybody all the time, plenty of examples out there.

[@josephdover198]

Yeah that's insane. Ankalaev would go if Hill's timeline is what it should be for an achillles. Then it would be Hill when he returns. Johnny Walker would strike with him and seems to have a very suspect chin. He could go get another stoppage.

[@jeremydeyoung810]

@@PoppaGrande333 ok casual 😂 we’re gonna give the title shot to him over guys like hill and ankalaev because he has twice as much experience as the current champ. What ur saying makes no sense just stop

[@jeremydeyoung810]

@@PoppaGrande333 not to mention Johnny walker is ranked above him and has a ko win over him

[@SpyroTek]

@@jeremydeyoung810 Yeah I think Poppa has it backwards. It's not that Khalil deserves a shot based on Alex. It's that Alex getting his shot so early was undeserving. But fair play he took it so what can you do.

[@ThugNugget33]

I love this dude. He’s a real people champion. I can’t wait to see the belt wrapped around his waist.

[@CFCOG123]

Only Ariel would say Khalil should be fighting for the title. Brown nose FC

[@julianoch]

Khalil خليل means Friend, Partner or Mate.

[@Jack-jz5kt]

Less than 2 weeks notice come on guys

[@johnes]

He has a nice voice. If I was listening to audio only I wouldn’t even know he was black.

[@gregmartinez7881]

I would never be able to say his name correctly I tried and it just sounds like I’m choking on my own tongue when I try 🤣

[@gagetardy2304]

P

[@rrogers2370]

He fought with doo doo in hospital shorts. Automatic title shot.

[@AndrejDukic]

Frank Mir is from Las Vegas.

[@devadasn]

I’m more interested in the cult Sean Strickland claims he’s in 😂. I feel there’s a documentary in the making there

[@reyazally5541]

He was or is part of the ChoiceCenter Leadership University, which Strickland labeled as a cult. It’s just a a self improvement center, it was investigated as a cult. I don’t think anything came out of that tho😂

[@KrikZ32]

@@reyazally5541 If you read about it it seems more like a thinly veiled pyramid scheme than a cult.

[@omedmhs2660]

Can we ask him what did he do at the end after knocking smith out, the celebration ? I know its a tribute to the Muai Thai style but he did the prayer thing 3x?… fallen one worship? Also look at his tattoos

[@HornsoftheStagg]

While I'd like to watch him vs Jan, I know Jan's injured so what about Khalil vs Jiri?

[@ciaracet0716]

Khalil should get the winner of Ankalaev vs Walker while Pereira defends against Jamahal Hill, with the winners fighting each other of course.

[@richardwyatt934]

What is going on with his wall??

[@krisnaneruda186]

Had no idea this guy was this interesting of a fella lmao 🫡

[@Ritalie]

Thank you Khalil. Finally, can we put an end to all this confusion with names? "I guess it depends on your accent." There is no right or wrong way to say a word; there is no governing body regulating words. People in America pronounce words much differently than someone from Africa, or someone from Germany or China. We have to stop trying to over complicate fighter's names, and just allow people to speak in their natural dialect.

[@eljay2224]

Lol that image will give Anthony ptsd

[@lordsoftherealm2752]

First time hearing him speak

[@Jakethegreat69]

Sounds like he only wants to fight in the Apex, that could be a problem if he fights under some bright lights, and a packed stadium full of people.

[@user-fe5bm6ot8o]

HALIL

[@The_Isaiahnator]

In terms of raw punching power, I think he's the Ngannou of the light heavyweight division.

[@Smorgasvord]

How many people has he knocked out with one punch?

[@fearandsmoking]

Id be so much more excited to see khalil fight jarod cannonier

[@Treeezzz]

‘KHALIL (pronounced correctly) ‘NEVER SHOT A TAKEDOWN IN MY LIFE’ ROUNDTREE JR!!!!!!!!!!!’ - Bruce Buffer

[@khuletwala]

Man looks like if Skepta was a UFC fighter

[@TheOnePieceReviewer]

no.

[@officialmoondancer]

Interesting AF... 99% of people watching that fight were screaming that KR "spared" AS from the "hammer fist from God", when in fact... KR was scared to risk himself for the finishing blow. That say to me that he doesn't have that savage killer in him. Alex and Jamal have that savage in them. They're not questioning anything. Their going in to get that kill shot.

[@OpenDeepLearning]

11:50 for the title

[@RatRaceTheory]

This was a kind gesture

[@OpenDeepLearning]

@@RatRaceTheory It was, indeed

[@vladdorian..]

Anthony “I’m a bad matchup for anyone in the UFC, especially on paper” Smith is still P4P #1 in his head.

[@joemomma707]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@vladdorian..]

@@joemomma707I think I matchup well with Jones, Magomed, Aspinall, Stipe, Jan, Rakic, Pereira.

[@IsenathiDyantyi]

Your Knockout against Smith was funny as Hell lefting that Hand for 5 seconds while His down🤣🤣🤣🤣😭🔥 You vs Blachowicz next!!!

[@MrBlaqgold]

Surprise surprise Anthony Smith found an excuse not to like or respect Khalil... so satisfying to see him get slept... again

[@Casual10-8mma]

Ariel a glazer 😒 but he get the right people on the show so ima click it 😂

[@ep477]

His victory should be a changed to a loss by disqualification for not landing super necessary blows after he his opponent was unconscious. Roundtree could have landed 3 or 4 heavy elbows before the ref would have stopped the fight.

[@Matt-jc2ml]

I think he needs another win imo. But hes close for sure

[@blackstarafro2]

If someone can say the name Haylie, or the word hallelujah. They can sayou name properly.

[@SoSyNiKaL]

I've just clocked that he sounds like a black Dominick Cruz...

[@CurtScorpion325]

Specky Ariel the coward

[@hhour2096]

Khalil “like like, uh, like, like” Roundtree. Jeez what’s up with these fighters talking like valley girls

[@josephdover198]

And "you know, and so you know, but like you know."

[@KrikZ32]

You don't usually become a pro fighter because of your linguistic ability

[@VideoStyler09]

Yoel Romero 2.0

[@R4RB]

it’s kill or be killed, he didn’t hold back, he hesitated, big difference

[@alcottdevalte7440]

Dissapointed that he didn't throw a hammerfist at the end. The division is garbage now and he should get the next title shot if Jamahal can't show up in time.

[@Jakethegreat69]

Anthony should retire already

[@emmettoconnor2325]

The whitest black guy on the roster 😂😂

[@Allenmnemonicx]

🤣

[@frankamaya5796]

Anthony gots most losses on the roster but tries to beef with champions . Clown

[@frankamaya5796]

Tells Jewani he doesn’t read the comments : then the supposedly intelligent content creator proceeds to ask him how he feels after he receives positive feed back in the comments . I think Ariel got her degree out of a claw machine