Syndicate MMA head coach John Wood recalls when Khalil Rountree gave serious consideration to ending his career before it even began.
“When I first started coaching him, he was on the verge of – really not even knowing if he wanted to fight,” Wood told MMA Junkie Radio. “I remember having a conversation with him. He was talking about retiring and going into construction because he had a good construction job that was gonna pay him a lot. I kind of begged and pleaded with him and said, ‘Hey, man, give me six months, and we can have you where you need to be.'”
Nearly a decade later, Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of his career as he gets set for his first title shot against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira on Oct. 5 at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.
