ATLANTA – Khalil Rountree moved to the other side of the world in order to improve his game ahead of UFC 236.

After suffering a knockout loss to Johnny Walker in less than two minutes at UFC Fight Night 140, Rountree (7-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) knew something had to change. He felt aspects of his game were exposed in that contest, and to be successful in Saturday’s UFC 236 matchup with Eryk Anders (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), he couldn’t carry on as he was.

So for Rountree, the solution was to relocate to Thailand.

“The main reason (I moved to Thailand) was after the Johnny Walker fight I realized in the clinch I have nothing,” Rountree told MMA Junkie. “Obviously he was big, he was tall, strong, but when I watched it from a technical perspective I saw like, ‘Damn, I got shut down.’ Everything I learned from MMA coaches in the clinch, it didn’t click. Not that it didn’t work, it just didn’t click.”

Rountree, 29, who has spent recent years working at Syndicate MMA and the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, said he has settled in extremely well in Thailand. He’s spent times at different camps in various cities, and he said it has renewed his energy.

For perhaps the first time, Rountree said he’s truly in love with his career as a professional fighter. For that reason, he said he intends on staying in Thailand beyond UFC 236.

“I was doubting my spirits and I’ve always wanted to be in Thailand so I went there to learn some technique,” Rountree said. “I needed to pick myself up after that loss and I couldn’t rely on anybody to go, ‘OK, you’ll bounce back.’ The people that were there were very supporting. I had to bring myself back up. It’s been a dream to go there and I’ve found it.”

UFC 236 takes place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The light heavyweight bout between Rountree and Anders is part of the pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass.

Rountree said he’s quite keen on the bout with Anders, who is coming off back-to-back losses of his own. “The War Horse” believes the fight is evenly matched, and he looks forward to displaying what he’s learned overseas.

“I think we’re both very strong competitors,” Rountree said. “We’re both going in there hungry, coming off losses with great potential. It’s such an equal matchup in a lot of areas that I’m excited myself to see how it all pans out.”

To hear more from Rountree, check out the full interview above.

For more on UFC 236, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.