Coach John Wood reflects on Khalil Rountree's long road to UFC title shot: 'He's paid his dues'

Syndicate MMA head coach John Wood recalls when Khalil Rountree gave serious consideration to ending his career before it even began.

“When I first started coaching him, he was on the verge of – really not even knowing if he wanted to fight,” Wood told MMA Junkie Radio. “I remember having a conversation with him. He was talking about retiring and going into construction because he had a good construction job that was gonna pay him a lot. I kind of begged and pleaded with him and said, ‘Hey, man, give me six months, and we can have you where you need to be.'”

Nearly a decade later, Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of his career as he gets set for his first title shot against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira on Oct. 5 at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

“He’s paid his dues and hitting his stride,” Wood said.

True as that statement might be, Rountree’s title shot hasn’t exactly been met with open arms. While he’s on a five-fight winning streak, Rountree, 34, is ranked just No. 8 in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings.

There’s also the fact that he’s coming off a failed drug test that forced him out of UFC 303, which was later attributed to a supplement company’s “massive oversight” by UFC anti-doping program Combat Sports Anti-Doping.

For Wood, Rountree’s title shot is not only a longtime coming, but it carries extra special weight given their relationship. Wood acknowledged that he and Rountree had “ups and downs” prior to Rountree leaving Syndicate to train in Thailand for a few years.

Ever since Rountree returned “five or six fights ago,” it’s been exactly what Wood hoped for.

“When he left originally, it did hurt,” Wood said. “I love the guy. Anytime a fighter leaves it’s an emotional thing. But he came back, and it’s way better than I think it ever could’ve been. He grew into himself. He’s matured as a man. He looks at things different – the way he speaks, the way he talks. It’s just different now. …

“He just really came back as a whole new person. You could see that the focus, the energy, everything was different. His mentality, he just grew up a lot. He’s really kind of came into his own. The mindset is he’s ready for this, and he’s been ready for this now for the last couple years. We’re really starting to see everything play out. We’re starting to see the talent and the mindset come together, the work ethic and everything, and that’s why we’re here where we’re at, on the verge of winning a title.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.