“War Horse” is on the path to recovery.

It has been three days since Khalil Rountree Jr. suffered a devastating fourth-round knockout loss to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 307 from inside Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah (watch highlights).

Rountree Jr. had a successful Septoplasty surgery when he got home yesterday (Mon., Oct. 8, 2024). Septoplasty is surgery to correct any problems in the nasal septum, the structure inside the nose that separates the nose into two chambers, according to mountsinai.org.

There is no doubt Rountree Jr. suffered brutal damage that will take time to heal; however, former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub believes “War Horse” may never be the same after his UFC 307 beating.

“You forget this is not a game; it’s fighting at the highest level,” Schaub said on his podcast. “Khalil Rountree is probably never going to be the same. Probably not. You watched it live. Rountree should be so proud of himself…he didn’t come into the fight thinking this; it’s just who he is. It’s in his blood, and we saw a lot of his blood. He had to remind you guys, that this is not a game, it is fighting at the end of the day.

“It’s just a different game, and that’s why everyone loves the UFC. Insane. He gave everything he could. You see those pictures of hyenas with blood all over them? He was fighting to the death,” Schaub continued.

“This isn’t the Packers vs. the Dolphins; it’s not Dodgers vs. Padres. That was a straight up as close as you can get near-death experience that you’re watching on TV…what you saw Rountree Jr do, he will never be the same…the cracks in his face, the cut on his nose, the cut over his eye will never look the same and who knows what it will lead to down the road.”