NSAC gives Rountree 4.5-month ban, clearing him for UFC 307 title fight
Khalil Rountree Jr. is officially clear to challenge Alex Pereira for the UFC light heavyweight title later this year.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspended Rountree four-and-a-half months Thursday due to a positive drug test, according to MMA Junkie's Nolan King. The ban is retroactive to May 4, making him eligible to return to action Sept. 18. Rountree's fight against Pereira is scheduled to headline UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.
Rountree announced in May that he had unintentionally taken dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is prohibited at all times under the UFC anti-doping policy. Rountree served a two-month suspension from Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), the UFC's in-house drug-testing program, and was forced out of a scheduled UFC 303 matchup against Jamahal Hill.
Some, including Hill, were critical of the UFC's decision to grant Rountree, the No. 8-ranked light heavyweight, a title shot - especially after he tested positive for a banned substance.
"This is terrible for the sport and makes the rankings completely pointless," Hill wrote on X when the fight was announced earlier in August.
UFC 307 will feature several other marquee matchups, including women's bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington's first title defense against former champ Julianna Pena.