- Khalil Rountree described how painful his post-UFC 307 surgery was
- “The War Horse” expects to return in early 2025 possibly against Jamahal Hill
Khalil Rountree detailed how painful his nose surgery was and plotted a potential target date for his return, possibly against Jamahal Hill.
Painful and very uncomfortable
Speaking to Kevin Iole, “The War Horse” tried to recall which of Alex Pereira’s punches caused his “severely deviated septum” but he understandably couldn’t tell. The only thing Rountree is sure about was that the septoplasty surgery he underwent to for his nose was excruciatingly painful and uncomftable. Nevertheless, Rountree reckoned that all the pain was worth it.
“I don’t know exactly what punch, but I know that last uppercut after the body shots definitely landed on my nose, but I already had felt some pain in my head. It could’ve been from that, but after we got the scans and everything the night of the fight, the doctors saw that there was some slight fracturing and a severely deviated septum, so we went right ahead and corrected that as soon as I got home,” Rountree remembered.
“[It was] Definitely the most uncomfortable, painful procedure I’ve ever had last night. It was the hardest sleep. My mouth is constantly dry and just a constant headache. Inside my nose, my nasal cavities right now are just stuffed with sponges and splints. It’s very, very uncomfortable,” he added.
“Every scar that I have, every bump, it’s all worth it. For me to have worked this hard to get to the point of fighting Alex in a main event for a title, everything that came with it was absolutely worth it. I wouldn’t change one thing,” he reflected.
Khalil Rountree underwent successful surgery pic.twitter.com/zLBpPxzAvl
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 8, 2024
Khalil eyes 2025 showdown with Hill
Unsurprisingly, Rountree is expecting a lengthy recovery time. At this point, “The War Horse” sees himself possibly making his Octagon return in the first quarter of 2025.
Rountree believes that a showdown with any of the Top 5 light heavyweight contenders is possible, particularly “Sweet Dreams.”
“I think… I’m very excited to come back and fight again but, it’ll probably be around Q1 (first quarter) next year. I really want to, I know that people got to see me fight but you know, this really showed me two things: it showed me that I’m prepared to fight at that level, but it also showed me that there’s a lot to learn and a lot [of room] to grow. I want to come back and be very skillful and strategic, and make sure I make the right decisions,” Rountree explained.
“I’m here for a long time, I just signed a new contract prior to this fight so I’ve got a lot more fights left and I’m in no rush you know, I will be back I think about Q1 [2025] when all this stuff heals up,” he pointed out.
“I think it’s almost inevitable right?,” Rountree said of potentially facing Hill in his return. “I think he’s ranked number 3, so I think [fighting] anyone up there in the Top 5 is kind of inevitable, so let’s see what happens… I’m here for it all. “I’m not done, I am going to continue, and I believe that I’ll have another chance at fighting for a belt whether it’s [against] Alex or someone else – if someone is able to take it from him… But yeah, I think that fight [against Hill] can definitely still happen.”
Rountree will be hoping to take on the best in the light heavyweight division until he earns another crack at UFC gold. On the other hand, Hill is expecting the same thing as he has been yearning to reclaim his title since losing it to Pereira at UFC 300.
Watch Rountree’s full interview below:
