{"id":46173,"date":"2025-04-30T14:42:46","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T13:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=46173"},"modified":"2025-04-30T14:42:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T13:42:52","slug":"khalil-rountree-feels-alex-pereira-looked-like-a-different-fighter-against-magomed-ankalaev","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/khalil-rountree-feels-alex-pereira-looked-like-a-different-fighter-against-magomed-ankalaev\/","title":{"rendered":"Khalil Rountree Feels Alex Pereira Looked Like a Different Fighter Against Magomed Ankalaev"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Pereira has built his reputation on devastating knockouts and calm precision. His rise through the UFC<\/a> ranks has been nothing short of spectacular. He became the middleweight champion and the light heavyweight king in record time. Fans have grown accustomed to seeing ‘Poatan’ stalk his prey with terrifying efficiency. His left hook has become the stuff of nightmares for opponents. Yet something seemed off when he faced Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 last month.<\/p>

Khalil Rountree Jr. noticed it too. Having faced Pereira’s wrath firsthand at UFC 307, Rountree knows exactly what the Brazilian is capable of. Their October clash ended with Rountree being finished in the fourth round. But he earned respect for standing toe-to-toe with the champion longer than most. Now Rountree has shared some interesting observations about Pereira’s performance against Ankalaev. Sometimes it takes a fighter to truly understand another fighter’s mindset. And Rountree’s insights suggest something wasn’t quite right with the normally fearsome Brazilian.<\/p>

Also Read: ‘Tommy Needs To Focus on the Next Task’ – Tom Aspinall Gets Words of Wisdom From His Idol for the Jon Jones Dilemma<\/a><\/p>

Khalil Rountree Felt The Missing Spark In Alex Pereira<\/h2>

Rountree felt that Pereira was not himself in the fight against Ankalaev. During his appearance on MMA Today, he revealed that he was waiting for the ‘Poatan’ that he faced rather than the one Ankalaev was fighting.<\/p>

“I couldn’t really watch the last few rounds of Pereira vs. Ankalaev. And so I don’t know how I scored it. I just saw it and I was like kind of confused, because I was expecting the same guy that came in and fought me to go in there and do the same thing.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

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Khalil Rountree says the Alex that fought Ankalaev wasn’t the same Alex that fought him 👀🧠

\"It was hard for me to watch that fight and score it. The Alex that walked out that night was a different Alex than the one that fought me. My experience was watching that fight in… pic.twitter.com\/xyVsx954HO<\/a><\/p>— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 20, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>