As far as Khalil Rountree is concerned, not liking his status as No. 1 contender doesn’t bother him.
Rountree was thrust into the spotlight recently when UFC officials announced he would challenge Alex Pereira. The light heavyweight title fight headlines UFC 307 later this year in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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For Rountree, it is the biggest fight of his career.
The 34-year-old has won five in a row, including three “Performance of the Night” bonuses during that stretch. In December, he stopped former title challenger Anthony Smith.
“I got a call from Hunter (Campbell),” Rountree told MMA Fighting. “I was having a bad day that day, dealing with other stuff. He was like, ‘I’ll make your day better. We’ve got this opportunity for you to fight Alex in October.’
“It kind of came by surprise but of course I’m going to accept. That’s the fight I’ve wanted. The fight I’ve been calling for and I’m excited.”
Sitting just inside the Top-10, though, left many questioning it.
“I understand that people are upset,” he said. “It’s not my problem. It’s out of my control. They give me the call, I take it.
“Let them deal with their own problems. Let them talk to the UFC. Whatever fans are not happy, I don’t know why.
“I couldn’t even call them true fans if you’re not happy about this matchup.”
