Khalil Rountree fighting style: Is the UFC star a Muay Thai fighter?

Khalil Rountree Jr. has impressed the fighting community several times with his performance in the Octagon. With 14 wins and just 5 losses to his name, the Syndicate MMA fighter finally has the chance to fight for the light heavyweight championship title. But his success in the world of mixed martial arts caused quite a stir and inspired fight fans to wonder about his fighting style.

Muay Thai – Khalil Rountree's primary fighting style

“The War Horse” began his martial arts journey with Muay Thai. It was the very first combat class he had taken, and his instructor, Michael Costa, was not one to make things easy for his students. Despite his toughness, Costa cared deeply for each of his students, which pushed Rountree to do his best. Speaking to Ariel Helwani in 2022, the light heavyweight fighter said“The first class was a Muay Thai class taught by a trainer named Michael Costa and he is one of the toughest trainers I have ever known in my life.” But Rountree was a natural at it; with a fixed gaze Wanderlei Silva As his role model, the LHW aspirant strived to become the best version of himself.

The style of Muay Thai that Rountree practices is the Western or Brazilian style of martial arts. Within just four months of starting training, he became one of the most feared prospects in MMA. The light heavyweight later traveled to Phuket, Thailand to train in the art and expand his arsenal. His faith in Muay Thai brought Rountree immense success. In his professional fighting career he won nine fights, with only Muay Thai in his arsenal. It was his unanimous decision victory Eryk Anders At UFC 236, he realized he needed to expand his options.

Given the performance Rountree has shown in the Octagon, the fighting community has often questioned the history of the No. 8 light heavyweight contender. Let's take a look at what inspired Rountree to start training.

How did Khalil Rountree start training?

Rountree was just two years old when his father died in a shooting. He was the tour manager of the Boys II Men and was returning from one of the tours when tragedy struck him. This took a huge toll on the young fighter. It was just his mother, his sister and his stepbrother, Donavon Frelowin the family, and yet they struggled to even come up with $750 for rent. He had a pretty difficult childhood and his teenage years were even worse.

As a teenager, Rountree was addicted to cigarettes, drank heavily, and subsisted on fast food and soda. Needless to say, he was an overweight teenager, weighing more than 300 pounds. But one fine day, a 19-year-old Rountree happened to stumble upon a TUF fight performance Quinton Jackson. It was then that he decided to learn martial arts. Frelow and Rountree made a pact and began training together. Within 11 months, “The War Horse” reduced his weight to 200 pounds and was ready to make his debut in the world of mixed martial arts.

Rountree spoke about his MMA journey“I was just trying to get in shape. I tried something [the people in the gym] have tried it. I wanted to do some exercise and kicking and punching seemed like a fun way to do it. “Then the more I went, the more I saw myself losing weight and then I started struggling. I saw some heavyweights fight and that was it. I said to myself, “Oh my God.” He continued“I have to try this,” and that’s what ultimately got me to where I am today.” However, it is important to note that Muay Thai is not the only option available to the Las Vegas resident. Training with legends like Nick RodríguezRountree has also added grappling to his list of weapons.

Is Khalil Rountree struggling? Training with a legendary grappler

Yes! The answer to the above question is a resounding “Yes!” Immediately after his fight against Anders at UFC 236, Rountree decided to learn the art of grappling. By training with Nicky Rod, one of the strongest grapplers the ADCC has ever seen, “The War Horse” has become one of the most intimidating fighters in the fighting community. However, he does not consider himself a wrestler.

Rountree is ready to land against it Alex Pereira at UFC 307 and fight for the light heavyweight championship title. But he doesn't want to use his grappling skills in combat. In conversation with Michael Bispinghe said“I’m not a wrestler; Yes, I am a mixed martial artist and can do many different things. My grappling is good, my wrestling is decent, but that's just not me – that's not my instinct. Why would I put myself in danger to achieve this victory when it just doesn't suit me or my style? It would show me that my coach would tell me, “Hey, this is the way.” [to win]“Then who do you coach?”

“The War Horse” confirmed that grappling was never really part of his plan. If his trainers told him to rely on fighting “Poatan,” he would fire them immediately. Well, that's what he claimed. Rountree wants the Oct. 5 fight to be something the world will remember for all eternity. If he finishes it with his grappling, it's just going to take everything down. Even if he were stripped of the ability to perform the suplex, his favorite grappling technique, he would still have his favorite kick to rely on.

Who do you think would win between Rountree and Pereira? Do you think Rountree's Muay Thai is stronger than Pereira's kickboxing? Let us know in the comments below.