Khalil Rountree Jr. was looking to make it two straight wins against Karl Roberson at UFC Vegas 50 — which saw Roberson making his return to the light heavyweight division.
Two submission losses at middleweight had sent Roberson north, and the ground game was at least expected to be less of a threat from Rountree, known more for his stand-up.
That stand-up game was the story on Saturday once again.
The first round started off with both guys looking to find their range. Some early heavy shots from both men followed. Through the first minute, Rountree and Roberson each had their chin tested, in both cases, it was holding up.
The pace started to slow down after the heavy start. The majority of the round saw Rountree controlling the center of the octagon while Roberson looked to counter. You could tell both men respected the power of the other very much. The round finished with a small flurry from Rountree in the middle of the octagon.
The second round started with Rountree landing a heavy right hook which levelled Roberson. He continued to follow up with heavy blows while Roberson worked his way back up. Rountree kept the pressure on and kicked him back to the ground while not giving up the pressure. The kick to the body was absolutely nasty. The ref stopped the fight at 0:25 into round two, with Roberson covering up.
ROUNTREE FOLDED HIM 😱#UFCVegas50 pic.twitter.com/HRhGhS0zrv
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 13, 2022
Official Result: Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Karl Roberson by TKO, Round 2, 0:25
