UFC 307: Khalil Rountree’s team channels the underdog spirit of Merab Dvalishvili against Alex Pereira

John Wood wants to make a habit of ditching UFC stars’ plans when he sends another hopeful in the hunt for a promotional golden goose at UFC 307 on Saturday.

The Syndicate MMA head coach is three weeks away from cornering Merab Dvalishvili against current Technicolor titleholder Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. The Georgian’s crushing performance left O’Malley too breathless to capitalize on the bells and whistles that punctuated his rise to superstardom, allowing Dvalishvili to leave Sphere as UFC bantamweight champion.

Now Wood-trained Khalil Rountree Jr. will have the opportunity to outpoint the fastest shooter in UFC history, Alex Pereira, at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

Pereira’s stoic façade coupled with his powerful punching power have helped him become a cult icon. Just two years after signing with the organization, “Poatan” had already secured titles in two different weight classes.

Not only is UFC popular with fans, but it also has a lot to thank its light heavyweight champion for.

After saving UFC 300 with a short-notice win over Jamahal Hill, Pereira filled the spot vacated by Conor McGregor’s broken pinky toe at UFC 303, handing Jiri Prochazka a second short-notice defeat before revealing his own broken finger.

There’s no doubt that Pereira is on top of the world, but Dvalishvili’s adventure with O’Malley has filled Wood with confidence despite being briefly blinded by the superstar spotlight of UFC 306.

“Sean O’Malley’s promotion was crazy,” Wood continued The Craic with Petesy Carroll.

“Two weeks before the fight I thought, ‘Jesus Christ, are we fighting this immobile monster?’ He will knock out Merab in 30 seconds!’”

Luckily for Wood, his fleeting, promotion-fueled premonition never came true. Now that we’ve reached the other side of UFC 306 with another champion in tow, the value of overcoming one of the sport’s most valuable strengths is clear.

“It really boosts confidence. It’s really a confirmation that we’re doing it right. “It’s doable, and these monsters that are being built behind the UFC’s marketing machine – they’re beatable, they’re touchable and we can do whatever we want if we execute the game plan in a certain way,” Wood said.

Underdog status is something Rountree has in common with Dvalishvili.

However, many believe that unlike Dvalishvili, Rountree is not the deserving No. 1 contender for his division’s top honor, as Dagestan’s Magomed Ankalaev is viewed as the frontrunner in meritocracy.

As for Wood, being the sleeper in a high-stakes fight has its own advantages.

“I think the climb (the belt) is much more intense. “I always liked the outsider situation,” he explained.

“The champion is always under pressure to win – he should win and we should lose. We are essentially the sacrificial lamb. Put us out to pasture, stick one in us and be done with it. That’s just not going to happen.

“With Khalil, I think the outsider situation suits us well. I think it fits his story. I think he will be a great champion when he gets there. Pereira is a great champion, I have nothing but respect for him and his team, but I believe it is Khalil’s time.”

Knockout artists Pereira and Rountree left a trail of flabby bodies en route to their light heavyweight title fight. Given Rountree’s penchant for spectacular stoppages, Wood is puzzled by the question of whether his fighter will suddenly become a wrestler when he goes toe-to-toe with the former kickboxing world champion.

“It makes me laugh,” he said. “In about 30 combined fights (between Rountree and Pereira), there was one takedown shot. “Why are we talking about this?”

Rountree believes the shutdown talk stems from an interview he did leading up to the fight, and he went out of his way to make his position clear at Wednesday’s UFC 307 media day.

“Throughout my career, everyone knew me for my punching power and flashy style,” Rountree said.

“I wanted to say: Don’t expect anything different just because it’s a title fight and because I’m against Alex, who is also a striker. … Now if something happens, I get damaged and I have no choice but to shoot a takedown, OK, maybe that will happen. But my game plan and who I am hasn’t changed.”

While opinions will vary on the outcome of the competition, many expect the title pairing to deliver a feast of striking brilliance. But according to Wood, the duo’s pedigrees could make for a tentative start.

“A lot of what (Pereira) does is luring you in to find out what he needs to find and luring you in to take you out. I think we’ll have a good technical (first) round with some heavy violence in between,” Wood said.

“I think eventually we’ll find what we’re looking for, we’ll find the right timing. With Khalil’s timing, his speed and his vision, he is one of those people who touches you without trying and just kills you.

“I think it’s going to be a fun, exciting fight and then you’ll see one of them fall flat on their back.”