Khalil Rountree Jr.’s tattoos cover his back, chest, neck, stomach and arms. The designs range from bold lettering and shaded images to smaller geometric marks, so a front-facing fight photo only shows part of the collection.

The clearest meaning he has shared is the connection between tattoos he got in Thailand and his appreciation for Muay Thai. He also brought that link into custom UFC shorts. The rest of the visible designs can be described without assigning them stories he hasn’t confirmed.

Khalil Rountree’s Back Tattoos

Across the upper back, three groups sit between the shoulder blades: narrow vertical marks on one side, a larger dark central design with curved lines, and a grid-like pattern on the other. The middle piece draws the eye first; the smaller side designs spread the composition without covering the whole back.

Rountree has said the tattoos he got in Thailand show his appreciation for Muay Thai. That is the meaning he has confirmed. The photo is grainy and better for seeing the placement than reading small characters, so it doesn’t support a precise translation.

Chest and Neck Tattoos

The chest and neck look denser than the back. A geometric mark sits at the front of the throat, with dark work running along the sides. Below it, the chest combines a radiating outline, shaded forms and lettering. The two sides aren’t mirror images, but their scale and spacing make them feel balanced.

Rountree’s comments about Thailand don’t explain these chest pieces. A shape that looks familiar in a photograph is not enough to establish its meaning. The still weigh-in image shows the separate forms more clearly than a moving fight shot, where sweat, light and motion flatten them into one dark area.

Torso and Arm Tattoos

In the fuller portrait, large separate letters cross Rountree’s stomach, smaller geometric marks sit higher on the abdomen, and darker work wraps around the near upper arm and continues toward the forearm. The larger lettering sets the broad shape; the smaller marks fill less space.

The photo also shows printed artwork on his shorts alongside tattoos on his skin. They’re different things: the shorts carry a related design, but they can’t be used to fill in ink that the photograph doesn’t clearly show. The side angle is useful for the arm, which a straight-on pose partly hides. Some of the stomach lettering is too affected by angle and shading to read confidently.

Training in Thailand

This gym photo shows Rountree with Superbon in a training setting. It adds context to the Thailand connection, but it isn’t a close-up for identifying small tattoo details.

Before UFC Baku in June 2025, Rountree explained that the custom shorts drew on his Thai tattoos and his respect for Muay Thai. The design also included references to the Las Vegas landscape and to the contrast between his fight persona and his quieter life outside competition. He confirmed the connection himself; the photo of the shorts is not evidence that every similar-looking mark on his skin has the same purpose.

Life Outside the Octagon

The orchard photo shows Rountree smiling in sunglasses and a straw hat with companions nearby. Most of his tattoos are covered. The neck remains visible, while the rest of the collection recedes under ordinary clothes.

That’s one reason photos show such different versions of the same collection: a weigh-in, a gym session and a casual outing reveal different areas. His confirmed link between the Thailand tattoos and Muay Thai gives the article a grounded story; the other designs remain visible details until Rountree explains more.

Below, he discusses the custom shorts and what their design means to him.