Khalil Rountree Jr. Suspended For Failed Drug Test, But UFC 307 Main Event Is On

Nevada Athletic Commission handed Khalil Rountree Jr. a retrospective suspension of 4 and a half months, but the title fight that he is going to have against the light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 307 is still on as the suspension will get over on September 18, 2024, and the title fight is scheduled for October 5, 2024. The announcement from the UFC about the title fight shocked everyone as number 8th ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. got the title shot from nowhere. Magomed Ankalaev was expected to fight Poatan next, but UFC has other plans.

Khalil Rountree Jr. consumed a banned substance before his bout against Jamahal Hill. In May, he tested positive for consuming DHEA, a banned substance, which caused UFC to suspend Rountree internally for two months. In his defense, Khalil Rountree Jr. claimed that the supplement company he is associated with had sent him some “Therapeutic blend” that contained the banned substance. The fighter self-announced the whole thing, and NAC appreciated the fighter for that.

“I’m glad he showed up, and the self-reporting obviously had a great influence on the commission’s decision here. I applaud him for self-reporting.”
NAC chairman Dallas Haun said

“CSAD has determined that Rountree’s actions after he determined the error, and the evidence of this case, fit these criteria, and thus CSAD is reducing the sanction against Rountree to 2 months,”
CSAD said

Alex Pereira, after defeating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303, is going to defend his light-heavyweight title for the third time this year. If he manages to secure his title for the third time, he is planning to shift the weight class, either moving up to the heavyweight or down to middleweight again to fight the reigning champion Dricus du Plessis, but that is dependent on the results of the UFC 307 bout.