Former UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman understands a thing or 2 about combating in Utah.
On Saturday night, Alex Pereira will protect his light heavyweight title in the UFC 307 centerpiece versus leading competitor Khalil Rountree in a battle in Salt Lake City, Utah that will evaluate both fighters’ cardio considered that it will occur at around 4,200 feet above water level.
And Usman, who lost his 170-pound title to Leon Edwards in Salt Lake City to Leon Edwards in August 2022, states that the location differs from any other on the UFC’s routine rotation of host cities and declared that Rountree might score what would be a big upset of the ruling champ Pereira.
“I’m gon na shock everyone here,” Usman stated on the Pound 4 Pound podcast together with fellow ex-champ Henry Cejudo. “I believe that Khalil Rountree shocks the world.
“Crazy things occur in Utah,” he included. “I believe Khalil Rountree is exceptionally explosive, exceptionally effective. His muay thai is extraordinary, and when he’s introducing them, he’s going to discover your face. The issue is his pacing. When Khalil releases, he lets whatever go. And how is he going to perform in Rounds 3, 4 and 5 if the battle in some way arrives? That’s my only issue.
“But in those very first 2 rounds, I’m informing you today that Khalil Rountree is as hazardous as anybody that Alex Pereira has actually battled.”
Rountree, who is 13-5 in his profession, has actually detailed why Usman has such faith in him in his current getaways in the Octagon. His previous 5 battles have all yielded triumphes, with 4 TKO surfaces and 3 ‘Performance of the Night’ perks to boot.
The 34-year-old Californian is dealing with a high uptick in competitors versus Pereira who is commonly concerned as being amongst the most skilled strikers presently active in the sport.
The Brazilian is 11-2 in a blended martial arts profession which has actually seen him catch world titles in 2 UFC weight classifications, in addition to heading slots on a few of the organisation’s greatest occasions recently. He, too, has actually scored surfaces in his latest battles, consisting of 2 knockouts versus Jiri Prochazka and a first-round KO of Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 centerpiece back in April.