Stadium Ready Khalil Rountree: Muay Thai in MMA?

With Rountree fighting Alex Pereira this weekend, let’s look at how he started the Stadium Ready Rountree legend.

There’s not anything specifically special about Khalil Rountree. He’s got power in his hands, but not otherworldly. His footwork isn’t perfect. He doesn’t move his head. He kicks a fair amount. He can punch straight at times. He does hammer fist to the hands of a fighter. Crouches real low sometimes. But he is far from a world beater on paper. Except when he’s on, Khalil Rountree is incredibly destructive.

Today, I want to observe an MMA legend that is Stadium Ready Khalil Rountree. When he fought Eryk Anders in 2019, Rountree trained in Thailand and the UFC commentators went on obsessively about a stadium ready Rountree. So what does all that mean? What did Khalil Rountree do to make everyone think he was basically Dieselnoi reincarnated?

Choosing the lead weapon

Off the bat, Khalil Rountree came out on the offensive, pushing Anders forward, and light on his lead leg.

Consistently threatening the lead kick, Anders could not find a comfortable way to attack Rountree. After all, Rountree has never fought like this before. This is the basis of that legend of Stadium Ready Rountree. He continued to add upon this with the lead step up kick.

Rountree constantly implemented the step up low kick. While traditionally used in MMA to land the outside calf kick, Rountree settled to land this against Anders to the body and to the inside of the thigh. This was because both Rountree and Anders are both southpaws and the dynamics of a closed stance matchup facilitates this.

Against Anders, Rountree brought forth an onslaught of step up kicks. A southpaw, (1) Rountree stayed light on his lead leg. As he went to attack, he (2) brings his lead leg forward and (3) smashes home the inside kick against the fellow-southpaw, Eryk Anders.

This seems great until you fight a competent fighter that can take you to the ground.

Alexander Volkanovski adores the step up low kick. Seen above, (1) Volkanovski starts in orthodox, (2) shows a left hook and slide his right foot forward. (3) With his rear foot forward, (4) Volkanovski lands the low kick.

Part of landing the standup low kick, be it Khalil Rountree or Alexander Volkanovski, requires the feet to come together which is terrible for counter wrestling. This brings your base to one point and allows someone to duck in on your hips.

Case and point…