Khalil Rountree Walkaround Weight & Transformation Journey – How heavy was the UFC star?

#8 ranked light heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr. is currently on the rise in the division. The 34-year-old is undefeated in his last five fights, winning four by knockout. However, The War Horse was never such a force of nature in its early days. Surprisingly, the number one contender once struggled with depression and weight problems.

In most of his interviews, the 34-year-old admitted that he never had a healthy lifestyle. Today, Rountree Jr. is a source of inspiration for many who want to make a name for themselves in the MMA field. Let's take a closer look at how “The War Horse” turned his fortunes around with hard work and dedication.

When Khalil Rountree Jr. struggled with depression and weight problems

Khalil Rountree Jr. is expected to be at UFC 307 and will face Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title. Who would have thought that a little boy weighing 300 pounds would one day fight for the title? For people who don't know, Rountree Jr. didn't have the best childhood. At just two years old, he lost his father, who was murdered, he revealed in a conversation with the promotion ahead of his UFC 307 fight.

Losing his father at such a young age had a major impact on him and Rountree Jr. lost track of his life. He picked up bad habits at a young age, started smoking and depended on fast food to survive. The 34-year-old keeps a very low profile and doesn't reveal much about his private life. However, after his UFC Vegas 50 victory, “The War Horse” opened up about his childhood misery in an interview with Ariel Helwani on MMA Hour. He said: “I would say at the peak of my depression and downward spiral I was 19.”

Rountree Jr. further added: “Around 19, everything started to hit me. People went to college, some got jobs, and I lived in a one-bedroom apartment with my mother, brother, niece, and sister, struggling to make $750 a month in rent. I had no idea what I wanted to be in life, what I wanted to do, or what I could even do because at the time I was 19 years old, 305 pounds, two packs of cigarettes a day, only soda if any, I had pills and thought 'Oh, I'll take some,' even though I didn't even know what it was, just lost, hopeless and not caring at all.”

“The War Horse” then pointed out how to watch The ultimate fighter triggered a change in him and he decided to take responsibility into his own hands. During this trip, his brother played an important role in enrolling him in the Wand Fight Team gym. But what exactly did he do to lose so much weight? Let's find out.

How did Khalil Rountree Jr. lose weight?

Khalil Rountree Jr.'s weight loss journey, like most others, was not at all easy. Overweight and with no MMA experience, the 34-year-old initially began training in local gyms. However, he and his brother decided to join Wand Fight Team Gym, which turned out to be a life-changing affair. Currently, the light heavyweight fighter is an all-round fighter with all weapons in his arsenal. Rountree Jr. has it all, from deadly striker to top-notch grappling.

However, he first started with Muay Thai and trained under the guidance of Michael Costa, who played a key role in developing his love for the sport and motivating the 34-year-old from his first contact. However, after training consistently, he lost about 45 kg in eleven months and then took part in his first amateur fight. “The War Horse” continued to tell his story and said: “I lost 100 pounds in 11 months.”

“Three months of just going to training and saying to myself, 'I'm not going to smoke today.' That was the thing. These vices obviously wanted to creep back in, but I had to deal with it day by day and say, 'You know what, today I'm not going to do it.'”After his successful transformation, Rountree Jr. has become a source of inspiration for many youth. He showed the world that with sheer hard work and dedication anything is possible. Now, as he prepares for his upcoming fight, let's take a look at his running weight.

What is Khalil Rountree Jr.'s walkaround weight now?

Khalil Rountree Jr. is without a doubt one of the hardest working fighters in the division. His social media is full of his workout videos and he seems to stay in shape all year round. Rountree Jr. trains four days a week, he revealed during his interview on the website Jaxxon podcast five months ago. During the show, “The War Horse” surprised everyone when he pointed out that he didn’t lose much weight before his fights.

In most fights he weighs 207 to 208 pounds without having much trouble making weight. Rountree Jr. now faces the toughest fight of his career as he prepares to take on Alex Pereira. It will be the Brazilian's third title defense in 2024. In his last two fights, he decimated his opponents in the first and second rounds. However, that may not be the case when he faces the 8th ranked fighter. Many experts believe Rountree Jr. could pull off an upset in the main event of UFC 307.

There are already predictions for the duel and the fight is even at the moment. Who do you think will win the fight between the two? Let us know your picks in the comments below.