Khalil Rountree eyes light heavyweight knockdown record at UFC 320
Khalil Rountree has a chance to etch his name in UFC history at UFC 320 as he prepares to face former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka in a pivotal bout.
With title implications on the line, Rountree could also break a long-standing UFC record, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Currently tied with legends Chuck Liddell and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua for the most knockdowns in UFC light heavyweight history, Rountree is poised to surpass both if he scores another during his clash with Prochazka.
The stakes are especially high with the UFC 320 main event featuring a title fight between champion Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira — placing Rountree’s bout firmly in the spotlight as a potential title eliminator in the 205-pound division.
When MMA Junkie‘s Mike Bohn asked him what it would mean to break beyond the status of being tied for most knockdowns landed in light heavyweight history with Mauricio Rua and Chuck Liddell at 14 to become the outright record holder following this Prochazka fight, Rountree said,
“It would be amazing. I love that. Like when I heard the first time that I; I think I was like right behind Chuck. I think the knockdown against Jamahal [Hill] or something like that, it kind of helped the numbers go up, I thought it was cool. To be mentioned amongst Shogun Rua and a Chuck Liddell and then to like even surpass that, that would be great.”
“That would be something that I’d be proud of it would mean a lot to me… I would say now that you brought it up, I’m gonna digest it and really take it in and appreciate it. Because it is a cool thing, it’s a good thing, and often times I can get so caught up on other stuff and being so focused on fighting, you know what I mean? So thank you for actually bringing that up because today I’m gonna hold that I can walk away with something that I can be proud of today.”
Khalil Rountree could carve out a place in the history books and catapult himself toward a sophomore crack at the UFC crown potentially. But it is key to remember those who laid the ground work and it is directly important to look back on the last times that the aforementioned pair of former UFC champions secured their last knockdowns.
Chuck Liddell’s last knockdown inn the UFC transpired almost twenty years ago as ‘The Iceman’ made his arch rival Tito Ortiz touch the canvas during their widely hyped contest in December 2006. For Rua, the last knockdown he secured in the octagon came in December 2018 in a clash with Tyson Pedro.
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