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John Wood wasn't about to let Khalil Rountree take a massive opportunity while compromised.
Rountree (14-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) was scheduled to face former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev 21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 282 headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, but an undisclosed injury forced him out of the bout.
Coach Wood revealed that Rountree was willing to fight regardless, but he's the one who stopped him.
"I don't think it's going to be that serious," Wood told Home of Fight of Rountree. "Fortunately, we kind of escaped any kind of surgical stuff, but for sure, it was a hindrance in camp that it got to a point where he couldn't really do much. And in a fight that big, man, those are the decisions that suck. He really didn't actually even want to – he was going to do it. He was full on and had the conversations like, 'You know what? I'm just going to bite down and go.' I kind of made the decision of like, 'No, dude. This is too big of an opportunity, too big of a situation, you're fighting the No. 1 contender.' You might as well be fighting almost for a title at that point in time.
"Going into that as bad as it was – everybody fights injured, but there's injuries and things where it's like, ‘If I don't get this done in a round or two rounds, I'm in trouble' – it's just not smart. So we sat down, had a talk. He was devastated. It's the first time ever, you know? It's the first time he's ever pulled out of a fight. It's the first time I've ever had to say, 'Hey dude, I just don't think this is a go.' I promised myself a while ago through some circumstances of watching guys fight in these situations that I've got to make sure that voice is heard and my opinion is heard. Of, you know, 'Hey, dude, I think that there's better options here,' and that's something that I really kind of tried to to do this time."
Ankalaev fought Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) instead, finishing him by TKO in Round 5 of a lackluster bout. Rountree is known to bring the action when he fights, earning four bonuses in his past five bouts.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: John Wood: Khalil Rountree wanted to fight Ankalaev, but I pulled him
Continue reading...
Rountree (14-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) was scheduled to face former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev 21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 282 headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, but an undisclosed injury forced him out of the bout.
Coach Wood revealed that Rountree was willing to fight regardless, but he's the one who stopped him.
"I don't think it's going to be that serious," Wood told Home of Fight of Rountree. "Fortunately, we kind of escaped any kind of surgical stuff, but for sure, it was a hindrance in camp that it got to a point where he couldn't really do much. And in a fight that big, man, those are the decisions that suck. He really didn't actually even want to – he was going to do it. He was full on and had the conversations like, 'You know what? I'm just going to bite down and go.' I kind of made the decision of like, 'No, dude. This is too big of an opportunity, too big of a situation, you're fighting the No. 1 contender.' You might as well be fighting almost for a title at that point in time.
"Going into that as bad as it was – everybody fights injured, but there's injuries and things where it's like, ‘If I don't get this done in a round or two rounds, I'm in trouble' – it's just not smart. So we sat down, had a talk. He was devastated. It's the first time ever, you know? It's the first time he's ever pulled out of a fight. It's the first time I've ever had to say, 'Hey dude, I just don't think this is a go.' I promised myself a while ago through some circumstances of watching guys fight in these situations that I've got to make sure that voice is heard and my opinion is heard. Of, you know, 'Hey, dude, I think that there's better options here,' and that's something that I really kind of tried to to do this time."
Ankalaev fought Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) instead, finishing him by TKO in Round 5 of a lackluster bout. Rountree is known to bring the action when he fights, earning four bonuses in his past five bouts.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: John Wood: Khalil Rountree wanted to fight Ankalaev, but I pulled him
Continue reading...
