'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The UFC is at the forefront of this edition of Sportskeeda's MMA News Roundup. A respected MMA analyst dismissed Khalil Rountree Jr. as an elite fighter. Meanwhile, Kamaru Usman recalled the one time he's ever been knocked out.
In the lower divisions, Bryce Mitchell shared an update regarding his plan to change divisions.
A UFC analyst downplays Khalil Rountree Jr.'s skills
This Saturday at UFC on ABC 8, Khalil Rountree Jr. faces his second-ever light heavyweight champion in Jamahal Hill. However, his chances of winning aren't that high according to MMA analyst Din Thomas, who said the following in an interview with Mike Bohn:
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
"I think he rose to the occasion with Alex Pereira. Me, personally, I don't necessarily assume that's his new standard. I think he rose to the occasion, but I still think he's a good and dangerous fighter, but not an elite, world championship-level fighter."
Check out Din Thomas' thoughts on Khalil Rountree Jr. below (15:23):
Thus, it is Thomas' opinion that Rountree Jr.'s past success in striking with Alex Pereira at UFC 307 was just a stroke of probability.
Kamaru Usman thinks back to his knockout loss
Kamaru Usman is a welterweight great, but he isn't invincible. In fact, he had a memorable moment of mortality at UFC 278, where Leon Edwards knocked him out with a legendary head kick. The memory of that knockout flashed in his mind when he faced Joaquin Buckley.
"There was a moment in my head, where I was like, 'He's throwing so hard. You can catch him and knock him out right now. What a statement that would be. You can knock him out right now.' Then I remembered the last time I had that thought. Round five, Salt Lake City, Utah. Leon Edwards.
Check out Kamaru Usman recalling his knockout loss:
So, instead of upping the aggression against Buckley this past weekend, Usman elected to stay defensively responsible instead.
Bryce Mitchell eyes a bantamweight move
Bryce Mitchell was dominated and submitted by Jean Silva at UFC 314. It was a bitter loss, but also a lesson that has now prompted him to consider a bantamweight move.
"I pretty much made up my mind after this last fight. The guy was so much bigger than me, and I really felt it in the second round. In the first round, obviously, I could tell he was bigger and strong, but it was really in the second round where I felt it. I think that I'm a 35'er."
Check out Bryce Mitchell recounting his latest loss:
Mitchell wouldn't be the first featherweight to make the cut, but with the depth at 135 pounds, he won't find it any easier.
