Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

UFC star breaks silence after suffering heartbreaking loss in epic UFC 320 fight

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 9:46 AM ET

Khalil Rountree Jr. knows how close he came to securing what would have been arguably the biggest win of his career at UFC 320.

The former light heavyweight title challenger returned to the cage on Saturday night as part of the main card for UFC 320, which saw Alex Pereira reclaim his light heavyweight belt in the night’s main event when he stopped Magomed Ankalaev in their immediate rematch.

A win at UFC 320 might have earned Rountree a second title shot and rematch with Pereira, but instead “The War Horse” was knocked out by the division’s former king Jiří Procházka after Rountree largely controlled the fight through the first two rounds.

Khalil Rountree Reacts To Loss At UFC 320

Rountree was up two rounds on all three judges’ scorecards heading into the final five minutes against Procházka, and the 35-year-old took some time to reflect on the loss in a post on his Instagram the day after the fight.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Khalil Rountree Jr. (@khalilrountree)

“Close. So Close. I’m ok, I’m in good spirits. I’m grateful for every positive message and every comment expressing support for what I give to this sport. To say I’ll 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!”

“The War Horse” took a five-fight win streak into a light heavyweight title shot against Pereira at UFC 307 last year and was stopped in the first round. He rebounded with a unanimous decision against former light heavyweight titleholder Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC Baku earlier this year, and the loss to Procházka likely won’t hurt Rountree’s stock too much after both men took home post-fight bonuses for competing in the “Fight of the Night” at UFC 320.

Jiří Procházka Already 0-2 Against Alex Pereira

After snatching victory in the final round against Rountree, Procházka was cage side to watch his former foe Pereira knock out Ankalaev in just 80 seconds and reclaim the light heavyweight title.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Czech star won the 205 lbs. title himself in an incredible war with Pereira’s coach Glover Teixeira at UFC 275, but he elected to vacate the belt after sustaining a should injury that kept him sidelined for an extended period.

Procházka returned to fight Pereira for the vacant belt at UFC 295 and was stopped in the second round, and he suffered the same fate when the pair met in a rematch the following summer at UFC 303.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Carlos Ulberg looks to be the frontrunner for the next light heavyweight title shot following his knockout of Dominick Reyes at UFC Perth, but it remains to be seen if Pereira will stick around at 205 lbs. or if he’ll move up to the heavyweight division to try and become the first fighter in UFC history to win belts in three different weight classes.