John Wood the coach of Khalil Rountree shared a bold prediction for his fighter’s upcoming title fight against Alex Pereira.
Rountree is set to headline UFC 307 on October 5 against Pereira for the light heavyweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup and many expect it to be a striking matchup. However, Wood thinks once Pereira sees Rountree’s striking and power he will shoot for a takedown.
“In a nutshell, yes. I believe, honestly, my gut, I think Pereira shoots on Khalil. I think he’s the one that breaks game first and shoots on Khalil to try to get that takedown. Um, because that’s actually something he’s done. I mean we ain’t shooting over here I can tell you that,” Wood said to ESPN (via MMANews).
It’s an interesting comment from Wood as Pereira hasn’t been one to shoot for takedowns in his career. But, Wood thinks Khalil Rountree won’t be the one to shoot and is comfortable standing and trading with Pereira, as they have confidence he is the better striker.