Khalil Rountree Jr, the UFC star who lost 45 kilos and avoided death due to his vices

Khalil Rountree Jr will fight on October 5 against Alex Pereira for the UFC light heavyweight title.

The 34-year-old American wrestler, known as ‘The War Horse’overcame depression and bad habits that almost ended his life: “There was one night I thought ‘okay, this is the moment, I’m going to die if I fall asleep'”.

“I drank alcohol, took pills and I remember getting on the scale and weighing 138 kilos”

He Padre de Khalil Rountree Jrwho was personal bodyguard of Muhammad Aliwas murdered in a reckoning when the new UFC star was two years old.

“When my father died, I didn’t have enough courage to face certain challenges, because I didn’t have anyone to tell me that everything was going to be okay. That led me on a path of self-destruction. I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, drank alcohol non-stop and I took pills trying to stop the pain. I remember getting on the scale and weighing 138 kilos,” Khalil Rountree Jr explained in an interview with the UFC that reproduces Pedro de Pablos in MARCA.

Currently Khalil Rountree Jr, who is 1.85 m tall, weighs 93 kilos.