Dana White on Khalil Rountree getting title shot over Magomed Ankalaev: 'Timing is everything'
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] addressed [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] getting a title shot before [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag].
Many such as former champions Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka were surprised to see the promotion book light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) vs. Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 headliner Oct. 5 at Salt Lake City.
Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) was paired up with Aleksandar Rakic Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
"(Ankalaev) wasn't skipped over – he's got a fight coming up," White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. "We were laying the fights out. Now Ankalaev's got a fight lined up – 'Go in there, do your thing, look great, obviously you're next.'
"We had to make this fight card, and as you go down the line you start looking at it, Khalil Rountree makes a lot of sense and you said it yourself: No way in hell that's not a fun one. Timing is everything – 100 percent."
Rountree has won five fights in a row, most recently a TKO of former title challenger Anthony Smith. He was scheduled to face Hill at UFC 303 in July, but withdrew after failing a drug test. Rountree served a two-month suspension after testing positive for banned substances, including androsterone, a banned steroid.
Ankalaev is unbeaten in his past 12 fights – including a split draw against Jan Blachowicz in their vacant light heavyweight title fight in December 2022. Ankalaev vows to make himself undeniable with an emphatic win over Rakic.
"I received a lot of messages today regarding the light heavyweight title fight, my job is to smash people's face who they put in front of me, I will destroy Rakic in Abu Dhabi and I will not be denied, I don't need nobody to feel bad for me @danawhite @Mickmaynard2."
I Received a lot of messages today regarding the Light Heavyweight title fight, my job is to smash people’s face who they put in front of me, I will destroy Rakic in Abu Dhabi and I will not be denied, I don’t need nobody to feel bad for me @danawhite @Mickmaynard2
— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) August 16, 2024
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Khalil Rountree: If you're not excited about the Alex Pereira fight, 'the problem is yours'
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White on Khalil Rountree getting title shot over Magomed Ankalaev: 'Timing is everything'
