"It was definitely heartbreaking" - John Wood reveals how tough it was leaving Khalil Rountree Jr. to corner Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 320

John Wood recently opened up about changing corners from Khalil Rountree Jr. to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 320, citing it as a terrible experience for him.

Wood was in Rountree Jr.'s corner when he took on former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka on the main card of UFC 320, held on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 'The War Horse' was knocked out in the third round and was transferred to a local hospital for a precautionary CT scan of his injuries from the fight

Wood immediately changed corners and coached Dvalishvili for his third bantamweight title defense against Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event. In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the MMA coach expressed his thoughts on the transition:

''That part really sucked. When [Khalil] was laying down there in a pool of blood, it was definitely heartbreaking. I love that guy. To have to leave that situation was very, very hard... I just told him, 'I'm so sorry, but I've gotta go back. I love you' and I kissed him on the head and I ran back.''

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Wood continued:

''On the way back I said, 'it's okay, that's over, clear your head and refocus.' I gave myself that period between the cage and behind the curtain and then it's a new fight... I will tell you this, I definitely felt those emotions immediately after Merab's win. I was so happy for Merab, but it definitely felt different."

Check out John Wood's comments below:

As for Dvalishvili, he displayed his dominance and secured a unanimous decision win over Sandhagen.

John Wood issues statement in response to Khalil Rountree Jr.'s loss

John Wood was devastated to see his student Khalil Rountree Jr. get knocked out by Jiri Prochazka at UFC 320.

In a recent Instagram post, Wood expressed his admiration for Rountree Jr.:

''Man… last night was truly a bittersweet moment. I’m so heartbroken for @khalilrountree and yet still so proud of all this man has accomplished inside and outside the cage…… Khalil has a champions heart and I know that he will continue to do amazing things…. This one definitely hurts but that’s the fight game! It’s back to the drawing board to figure out where the mistakes were made and I how I can do better to ensure that the next version of Khalil is the best version on Khalil. I truly love this guy.''

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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