Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight knockout artists Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. will square off this weekend (Sat., Oct. 4, 2025) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada at UFC 320.
It’s hard to believe Prochazka is just 32 years old. “The Czech Samurai” is already a former UFC and RIZIN champion with nearly 40 professional fights on his record, yet he arguably reached a new level in his last showing when he picked apart and finished Jamahal Hill (see that here). He’s still a serious threat to the title, particularly if Magomed Ankalaev leaves Las Vegas with his championship intact.
Rountree, age 35, is in his prime as well and finally living up to his potential. For many years, frustrated “War Horse” fans watched on as an incredible athlete with obvious gifts for destruction randomly failed to perform, but those days appear to be over. Rountree has won six of his last seven bouts, performing with the kind of focus and precision that could capture UFC gold.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Prochazka vs. Rountree Betting Odds
- Jiri Prochazka victory: -180
- Jiri Prochazka via TKO/KO/DQ: -110
- Jiri Prochazka via submission: +1000
- Jiri Prochazka via decision: +700
- Khalil Rountree Jr. victory: +150
- Khalil Rountree Jr. via TKO/KO/DQ: +320
- Khalil Rountree Jr. via submission: +3500
- Khalil Rountree Jr. via decision: +450
- Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
How Prochazka Wins
Prochazka loves to wax poetically about feeling the fight and the nature of combat and all other sorts of Samurai philosophy. It’s all very silly and unscientific, and yet it works. “BJP” is an all-time great in terms of combat instincts and feeling the flow of a fight, and few men are able to pull through in clutch moments better than the former UFC champion.
A 31-5-1 professional record with 30 stoppage victories is strong evidence he’s doing something right as well.
In this bout, the great danger is getting kicked to pieces. Prochazka does good work at distance generally, but Rountree is the more refined kicker and excels at breaking his opponents down. If Prochazka hangs back, every shin to the calf or liver he absorbs will slow his explosion and leave him more likely to get stuck at distance longer.
As he did versus Aleksandar Rakic, Prochazka must start the fight with the pedal to the floor. He’s incredibly good at pressing his opponent with aggressive punches while still retaining the ability to slip some of the return fire, and we’ve seen Rountree crumble to pressure in the past. Perhaps Prochazka’s biggest key is to fire back off kicks immediately, which will exhaust Rountree mentally and physically.
The risk of eating a fight-changing counter will always be there, but that’s better than absorbing endless kicks.
How Rountree Wins
Rountree is an outstanding Southpaw Nak Muay. Not only is he brutally effective with his left round kick, but Rountree is quick with his switch kicks and stabbing teeps to boot. In terms of boxing, Rountree has a strong counter right hook and a powerful left hand that looks to split his opponent’s guard.
As mentioned above, the key for Rountree here is to punish Prochazka and leave stranded at a further distance than he would prefer. Against a primarily orthodox fighter in “BJP,” Rountree will have easy access to blasting the body with liver kicks. That will be a great tool, but Rountree needs to complement them with quick switch low kicks to the calf. Prochazka’s wide base leaves him open to calf kicks, but it’s a little harder for Southpaws to target the outside calf of their right-handed opponents. As “Poatan” demonstrated, affecting Prochazka’s stance can pay huge dividends, and Rountree has demonstrated a great switch kick in the past.
Otherwise, Rountree’s footwork will be tested here. He cannot afford to get trapped along the cage, where Prochazka will extend his combinations and build momentum. Ideally, he’ll use his counter punches to angle off and keep open space behind him, creating more time at distance to break down Prochazka with his kicks.
Prochazka vs. Rountree Prediction
Both men are well-equipped to take advantage of the others historic weaknesses. Prochazka should be able to press Rountree and make him uncomfortable, whereas Rountree should be able to attack Prochazka’s stance with kicks and walk him into hard counter shots. Given that neither man is a defensive maestro, a well-applied strategy from either should find success.
In that case, who do you trust more to take a hard shot and remain committed to the game plan? Jiri Prochazka, obviously. He absolutely thrives in bloody wars, and I don’t think Rountree’s distance management is good enough to avoid that kind of fight. “The War Horse” will find success early and fight gamely even as Prochazka starts finding the pocket, but he’s not going to withstand the barrage forever.
Prediction: Prochazka via knockout
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE REMATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., Oct. 4, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 320 from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In UFC 320’s PPV main event, Light Heavyweight champion, Magomed Ankalaev, defends his title against No. 1-ranked contender, Alex Pereira, in a high-stakes, five-round rematch. UFC 320’s PPV co-main event features a Bantamweight title showdown between division champion, Merab Dvalishvili, and No. 1-ranked contender, Cory Sandhagen. UFC 320 will also showcase a Light Heavyweight clash between Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr., a Featherweight bout pitting Josh Emmett vs. Youssef Zalal, a Middleweight matchup featuring Abus Magomedov vs. Joe Pyfer, and much more! UFC 320’s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (“Early Prelims”), 8 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard), and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 320 fight card, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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