I weighed 21 STONE, smoked every day and was on brink of suicide before I found MMA, now I’m fighting for UFC gold

JUST over a decade and a half after making the life-changing decision to try mixed martial arts, Khalil Rountree Jr is on the cusp of becoming a UFC champion.

Early on Sunday morning, Rountree Jr will bid to become the new ruler of the promotion’s stacked light-heavyweight division.

Standing between the Ultimate Fighter season 23 contestant and having the belt wrapped around his waist is dominant champion, Alex Pereira.

The pair will collide in the main event of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, where Rountree Jr can complete the most unintentional of journeys to UFC gold.

Unlike many in the UFC, Rountree Jr didn’t grow up wanting to be a MMA fighter.

In fact, he only started the sport after realising he was at a crossroads in his life and with his health.

After years of abusing his body with junk food, cigarettes and pills, Rountree Jr found himself weighing a staggering 21 STONE and without a purpose in his life at the tender age of 19.

He was “on the brink of suicide” before discovering MMA and using it as a vehicle to turn his life around and drop an incredible SEVEN STONE.

And the 34-year-old is still coming to terms with just how far he’s come in life, let alone the sport, ahead of the biggest moment of his career.

In an exclusive interview with SunSport, Rountree Jr said of his incredible journey: “It’s definitely crazy.

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

“MMA gave me a place. Like a place, a home to be in. But I think, you know, even then I’ve grown since.

“And it’s now about continuing on the journey. I went through those struggles and now I’m here.

“And I’ve been here and it’s just really about staying here and keeping the dream alive. You know what I mean?

“Not just getting in the door but making something out of it. So, yeah, man, what a ride. What a ride for sure.”

Rountree Jr – whose father was murdered when he was a toddler – hopes a win in the mountains of Salt Lake City will serve as an inspiration to teens battling their own demons.

He said: “I wanna be able to make as much of an impact and inspiration as I can so that I’m not doing this just selfishly.

“I want to be able to use my platform and be a champion so that I can give back to the people who supported me and give back to my community.

“We’ve seen it with multiple champions and I just think that something like that, to me, has always been a dream.

“That’s been a part of the reason why I’ve wanted to become a champion so that I could make a difference.”

Capturing UFC gold would be the completion of a Hollywood-esque story for Rountree Jr, who is umming and ahhing about allowing himself to think about the magnitude of the spot he finds himself in this weekend.

So it’s incredibly fitting that the man standing between him and immortality is a surging superstar with destructive punching power befitting a Marvel supervillain.

“It’s a little bit of both,” he said when asked if he’s allowed himself to think about the magnitude of dethroning Pereira.

“I see it as I’ve always thought it possible for me to win against Alex. It’s always been possible for me.

“And now we’re, you know, approaching that time. And yeah, it’s almost like a dream come true.

“I mean, it’s cool. Like I get to go up against this challenge, you know?

“I get to face the boogeyman and I’m up for it, you know. I’ve always seen it that way. I’ve always seen that.

“I’m up for this challenge and now here we are.”

What a ride

Khalil Rountree Jr on his journey

Dethroning Pereira as the king of the light-heavyweights has, so far, proven to be difficult, just ask former champions Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka.

The Brazilian bruiser’s body of work at 205lbs isn’t something that’s sniffed at by Rountree Jr, who said: “I look at it and I respect it.

“And I think that’s what kind of calls me to be up for the challenge. Because I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s like, it seems like a hard task.’

“And I like that. That’s what we’re here for, right?

“We’re here to challenge ourselves and really put ourselves to the test.

“So when I see the title reign and the things that he’s been through, I definitely respect it.

“And now it’s my time, to challenge it. Stylistically, I’ve always said it from the start that I think it’s a great match-up.

“I think that it’s a matchup for the fans, for sure. Especially if both of us go in there and do what we do best. And everyone knows what that is.

“It’s a great matchup. I think that it’s a fight for the fans and that’s what I’m really preparing for.”

Rountree Jr knows ending Pereira’s title reign will be no easy feat but remains confident of pulling off what would be one of the biggest upsets of the year.

“It ends with me victorious and new,” he said when asked how his maiden UFC title fight ends. “I mean, that’s the goal.

“That’s what I’ve been working for and that’s what I’m focused on.

“So yeah, it ends with me victorious and going home smiling with the belt around my shoulder and never taking it off.”