UFC: When Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman praised Khalil Rountree Jr.'s UFC success: "We're proud of him"

Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman once shared his thoughts on Khalil Rountree Jr.'s journey to becoming an MMA competitor and praised him on his UFC success. Stockman and the legendary group knew Rountree Jr. since he was a child and noted that they were rooting for his continued success.

Rountree Jr.'s father served as the tour manager for Boyz II Men, which is how the group share a connection to the UFC star. Unfortunately, 'The War Horse's' father was tragically murdered in 1992 following an attempted robbery. In 1994, the group paid tribute to him in their album 'II' with a track titled 'Khalil (Interlude)'.

In his conversation with TMZ Sports ahead of Rountree Jr.'s light heavyweight title fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 307, Stockman lauded the UFC star for how his career had progressed.

The Boyz II Men member mentioned that Rountree exemplified qualities from his late father and noted that the group were all proud of the athlete and competitor he has become. He said:

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"Knowing [Rountree Jr.] as a baby and remembering him as a little baby and seeing him grow up to be this incredibly athletic, strong a** whooper is amazing. I mean, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. His father was also very much a person that you didn't want to F around and find out with... We're proud of him that he's grown up to be such a reputable fighter and I know his dad is very, very proud."

Check out Shawn Stockman's comments regarding Khalil Rountree Jr. below (0:21):

Shawn Stockman shared motivational message to Khalil Rountree Jr. ahead of Alex Pereira clash

Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman also shared a motivational message to Khalil Rountree Jr. ahead of the biggest fight of his career against Alex Pereira.

In the aforementioned clip, Stockman urged Rountree Jr. to remind himself why he became a fighter and channel that emotion to defeat Pereira and become UFC champion:

"Kick [Pereira's] a** and do well. Just use that fire that we know that you have in you. We know why you became the fighter that you become. You had a lot of, I guess you could say, divine inspiration to become great at what you do, so just finish the job. Whoop his a**, finish the job, raise the [UFC] belt up high."

Check out Boyz II Men's track 'Khalil (Interlude)' dedicated in memory of Khalil Rountree Jr.'s father below:

About the author

Giancarlo Aulino is an MMA news writer and interviewer at Sportskeeda. Having been onboard since 2021, Aulino has written list articles, before transitioning to MMA news writing.

In addition to writing at Sportskeeda, Aulino can be heard on VIBE 105.5FM in Toronto, Canada, where he conducts interviews called 'VIBEtalks.' Aulino's segments have featured many respected athletes, broadcasters, and celebrities. In 2024, Aulino, along with his VIBE 105 Sports team members, rebranded their content to The Game Plan 'TGP'.

In addition to MMA, Aulino was previously a pro wrestling writer and soccer (Football) reporter and covered Toronto FC (Major League Soccer) and York United FC (Canadian Premier League).

Follow him on Twitter: @Gian_411

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Edited by Tejas Rathi