UFC light heavyweight prospect Khalil Rountree has a striking skill set so prolific that former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva once anointed him as a future UFC title challenger.  

However, after losing back-to-back fights since joining the Zuffa banner last year, Rountree knew he needed a breakthrough performance to earn his first UFC win at UFC Fight Night 104 on Feb. 4. The Las Vegas resident responded by finishing his fight against Daniel Jolly with vicious knees that led to a highlight-reel knockout. It was a showcase of Rountree's striking and finishing abilities that would have made Silva himself break out in a post-fight celebratory dance.

"That was big for me." Rountree said. "I got my hand raised in the UFC cage. That's where it all started to come together. Everything I put time and energy into really came true. We worked a lot of takedown defense, and we worked on throwing that knee instinctively. I had to believe I had the tools and that I was prepared. I had to fully believe and embrace it. That sense of preparation gave me clarity."

At a career turning point, Rountree fully intends to use his newfound confidence in the Octagon and the much-needed momentum boost from his victory to quickly climb the ladder in a stacked light heavyweight division. But the win came with very little excitement for the high-level striker. It was earned in the gym long before the fight itself took place.

"Imagine studying for a test." Rountree said. "You have the material down. Anyone can ask you anything about the subject and you know the answer. Then you take the test and you get the answers right. Instead of being excited, I knew that I studied. I know what I need to study now. I wasn't overly excited, because I didn't get lucky. That was hard work, and that's what it gets you. Now I am more motivated to go get that belt."

The Silva protégé has spent time bouncing from gym to gym over his short career, mixing it up with the Hall of Fame rosters at Blackhouse in Los Angeles and Wand FC in Sin City before finding a home in Las Vegas at Syndicate MMA. If not for divine intervention from head coach and owner John Wood, you might not find Rountree competing in MMA -- you might find him on a job site.

"I moved to L.A. but my family stayed here in Vegas." Rountree said.  "I wanted to be back around them, so I got a job. I was working construction and making better money than I was fighting on regional shows. I told my brother that I might stop for a while. Money was good.

"John Wood was there and said before I quit, at least try working with him. The first session we had, we just flowed. When John and I hit pads, we create. He doesn't teach me a formula. He lets my body react. Once I found that relationship with him, that's when I decided I was sticking with the sport."

When Silva tapped Rountree as a future UFC contender, it was a life-changing moment for the young light heavyweight. Undoubtedly meant as a high compliment from the best fighter of all time, it also came with great expectations and responsibility.

"It was good." Rountree said. "I had my battle with that. After meditating on it I was like 'Oh, sh*t. This is a pretty heavyweight.' People are going to be watching and expecting great things. Every time I talk to [Silva] he tells me I need to be training. He holds me accountable. He put that gift and curse on me, but he has stuck to it, so that's cool."  

Rountree is also a firm believer that any words spoken into the universe can come back to you in reality with hard work and self-belief. Those powerful words that Silva spoke could in fact come full circle and come to fruition some day in the not-so-distant future. Rountree will have nothing but love and admiration for Silva should that day come.

"He is like my older brother." Rountree said. "That is my family. To prove him right would only be to thank him as much as I could for putting that on me. I wouldn't feel anything but thanks and gratitude. Had he not said it to me it wouldn't have had the same value or carried the same weight."