Alex Pereira admits surprise at Rountree pairing for UFC 307

Salt Lake City – Like many others, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira was surprised that Khalil Rountree Jr. teamed with him at UFC 307.

The main event of the fight was something of a shock for Magomed Ankalaev, as one seemed to have the stronger resume. However, Ankalaev is not far removed from a disappointing draw against Jan Blachowicz for the then-vacant UFC 205lb title, a fight in which he failed for gold and disappointed fans.

The UFC, perhaps with that in mind, instead gave a nod to Rountree, a more exciting, explosive stand-up fighter.

“No, I didn’t imagine that,” Pereira admitted at UFC 307 media day on Wednesday when asked about the match. The popular “Poatan” noted that Rountree is “far behind in the rankings” and added that you “have to be prepared for anything.”

At the start of the fight, Pereira was dubbed the “final boss” for Khalil Rountree Jr. after the American's success against other former kickboxers. That's a storyline that Pereira himself can support, although he questions Rountree's win over Dustin Jacoby.

“I like the narrative. I saw his fight with Gokhan Saki, I saw some things Khalil did there, things I studied in the fight he won. I saw the Dustin Jacoby fight and I don’t think he won that fight.”

There has been talk in recent months of Alex Pereira seeking both a third heavyweight title and returning to 185 pounds to reclaim his middleweight title, which is now in the hands of Dricus Du Plessis.

When asked about his preference and whether he would go up or down, Pereira chose a third option. “Actually, I would choose to defend my life [light heavyweight] Belt. For me, moving into a lower weight class would take some time and require a little more preparation. In order for me to move to a higher weight class, I also need more preparation. The way it is now, the light heavyweight division is perfect.”

Last month, Pereira actually faced UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 306, but added that with “Bones” he was only thinking about training together and not a fight.

“I was just thinking about training because Jones said his next fight might be his last fight. That's why I want to go there and learn a little from him. I’m someone who’s open-minded and I think this would be great.”

Watch Alex Pereira's full UFC 307 media day appearance above.