Khalil Rountree Jr. engaged in one of the best UFC fights of the year.
UFC 320 was a massive event for the light heavyweight division. Not only did Alex Pereira regain his title from rival Magomed Ankalaev but his former challengers Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. went to war as well on the pay-per-view main card.
Similar to his unsuccessful title challenge against Pereira, Rountree Jr. won the first two rounds against Prochazka before he started to fade.
With less than two minutes to go in the fight, Prochazka delivered a show-stopping knockout of Rountree Jr. in the final round to reinsert himself into the title picture.
It was a brutal loss for Rountree Jr., one he vows to bounce back from.
Khalil Rountree reflects on loss to Jiri Prochazka in post-fight statement
Rountree was putting on quite the striking performance before the unpredictable Prochazka caught up to him late in the fight.
Despite how things turned out, Rountree Jr. is keeping his head up like Ankalaev after the loss.
“Close. So Close,” Rountree wrote on Instagram.
“I’m ok, I’m in good spirits,” Rountree continued.
“I’m grateful for every positive message and every comment expressing support for what I give to this sport.
“To say I’ll be back is an understatement. Never stop living! Never stop fighting the good fight! For yourself, for your families, for humanity till the end.
“Losses hurt, not only me. Coaches, Family, Friends & Supporters, you guys are incredible!
“@ufc nothing but appreciation for the platform and all of the staff that make it happen for us.
“I’m here for a while, you will all see me in there again next year, and win lose or draw I’ll always fight until the last drop [of blood],” Rountree added.
“This loss isn’t easy, it’ll take time to heal & learn from this but I promise you when i say that I’ll never be the same again. See you in 2026,” said Rountree.
Jiri Prochazka has now earned $650,000 in performance bonuses
The post-fight bonuses keep coming for Jiri Prochazka.
The former UFC and RIZIN Champion has racked up over half a million dollars in ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses across eight UFC fights.
Prochazka received a double-bonus for his fight against Rountree Jr., as he did for his spinning elbow KO of Dominick Reyes in 2021.
Prochazka took home a $300,000 bonus at UFC 300 for his TKO win over Aleksandar Rakic last year.
All in all, Prochazka has made $650,000 in performance bonuses alone.