UFC Vegas 36: Khalil Rountree JR vs Modestas Bukauskas Preview

Fighter Preview

Growing up overweight, Khalil Rountree JR decided to train after watching The Ultimate Fighter with his brother. At the age of 20 and weighing over 300lbs, he took up MMA. Just one year later, his amateur career began.

After a 4-fight win streak in Resurrection Fighting Alliance, ‘The War Horse’ was invited to take part in The Ultimate Fighter. Despite losing his first fight, he was given a second chance due to an injury to another competitor. After his re-entrance, Rountree made it to the finale but unfortunately lost to Andrew Sanchez.

On Saturday night, Rountree makes the familiar walk to the UFC octagon and participates in his 11^th UFC bout. The 31-year-old holds a professional record of 14-8 with 4 of those wins, coming under the UFC banner.

At UFC 257, Rountree threw down with Marcin Prachino but fell short on the judges’ scorecards as he lost via unanimous decision. The disappointment of UFC 257, means that he’s now on a 2-fight losing streak and needs to beat Bukauskas to cement his place on the UFC roster.

Modestas Bukauskas is a 4-time British kickboxing champion and tallied up a professional record of 10-2 on the UK MMA scene before signing with the UFC in 2020. 

The 27-year-old exploded into the limelight last July by finishing Andreas Michailidis in the very first round. While his opponent was looking for a double leg takedown to secure the round, Bukauskas landed some vicious elbows. As the bell sounded for the end of the first round, Michailidis sat on the floor in a world of hurt and fell out of the octagon door which forced the referee to call a stop to the contest.

This win meant he became the first Lithuanian to win inside the UFC octagon. However, since the highs of his victory, he has fallen to losses against Jimmy Crute and Michal Oleksiejczuk and finds himself winless in 2 bouts.

With both fighters desperately chasing a win, Saturday"s showdown between Khalil Rountree JR and Modestas Bukauskas promises fireworks. However, only one man can snap their losing streak and claim victory, but who will it be?

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