Like so many UFC fighters, Khalil Rountree credits the MMA gym he found as a teenager for giving him the focus he needed to build a long UFC career. He also credits that environment for helping him understand his own mental health challenges — and how to address them, a process he still relies on today.
That’s why, even though he’s not on the card for UFC 328 at the Prudential Center on Saturday, Rountree was eager to be at the ribbon-cutting for the first-ever UFC Youth Wellness Center, Wednesday at the Boys & Girls Club of Newark.
Supported by a six-figure donation and created in partnership with the UFC, the Prudential Center, the Devils Youth Foundation, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and the N.J. Sports and Exposition Authority, the center is designed to be a safe, supportive space focused on the mental, physical and emotional health of local youth.
UFC always is a huge event in Newark. This year’s card is expected to bring as much as $27 million in economic impact to the region. The impact of its investment in Newark’s youth may prove even greater.
Rountree applauded everyone involved for helping create a safe space for kids who may be facing their own mental health struggles.
“I’m really happy that the UFC was able to step in and help partner with Boys & Girls Club here,” he said. “To be able to walk through and see all of the spaces that they’ve created for the kids, everything that they’re doing here to make sure that these kids are supported in and out of school and in their home lives is incredible.”
***
Ameer Washington understands that of the Boys & Girls Club of Newark. And not just because he’s the CEO. He has been connected to the organization since he joined as a 6-year-old.
Washington was thrilled to welcome stars from the UFC and the Devils — and even more excited about what the new wellness center will mean for families. The facility has been working with the UFC, the Devils, the Devils Youth Foundation, the Prudential Center and HBSE for four years, meeting families where they are with services that include one-on-one psychotherapy, group counseling, family support, nutrition education, food distribution and access to caring mental health professionals.
“Each time they come into our community, they joined us in supporting children and families by investing in our 5k, our facility and building a true partnership along the way,” he said. “There’s nothing like having partners who really care about the work that they’re doing their community while they’re coming here to put on a good show for people.
“Their investment today is at the core of our mission.”
That mission — supporting the whole child — has only grown more urgent in the years since the pandemic. Washington said every youngster who enters the facility receives a trauma assessment as part of their evaluation.
The work has support from the top. Gov. Mikie Sherrill has made youth mental health a priority of her administration. Washington served on her task force on the issue.
“I know she’s really in support of programs like this and partnerships like this,” he said. “When government, business, enterprise and community organizations like Boys and Girls Club of Newark come together, there’s nothing that can be done to stop us from positively affecting young people and their families.”
***
Families is the key word here. They are central to the mission.
The Boys & Girls Club of Newark is far more than an after-school program for kids; it’s a hub for the community.
Sure, there’s a gymnasium for physical activity and a multimedia center for what is increasingly become the career of choice: Content creators. But there also are numerous individual rooms that teach social and academic skills — each with a comfort corner, where children can find a safe space to cope in the moment.
Washington points out that every room includes sensory toys that support neurodiverse children.
“We want to make sure we’re meeting the needs of the kids, of the staff, of the community in a very particular way,” he said.
That includes meeting the needs of parents and guardians. The club stays open until 7 p.m., easing the rush to get from work to pickup. And every student receives an evening meal, too.
“We’re trying to meet the needs of the whole child, and these spaces really help us do so,” he said.
***
Long before he was a UFC star, Rountree was just a teenager searching for meaning.
“That was the closest I felt to just being suicidal,” he said. “I didn’t really look forward to the next day, and it was almost like I was counting down the days. I didn’t want to be here anymore.”
The gym changed that.
“It was such a positive environment,” he said. “There were people around me that showed me that there’s another way of thinking.”
Training, nutrition and community gave the self-described introvert a place to belong.
“Once I allowed myself to be a part of this, the MMA community, I started to feel my spirit up lift,” he said. “It didn’t change me as a person inside, but it gave me a new perspective.”
He’s quick to note — it wasn’t a cure. At 36, he still faces episodes of depression. Medication, counseling and a supportive wife help him manage them.
That’s why being in Newark mattered to him — to show kids that it’s OK to not feel OK, and OK for even a UFC star to say so out loud.
“If I can speak honestly about my struggles, hopefully that allows other people to open up, too, and seek professional help,” he said. “It’s not very encouraged, especially amongst men, and especially amongst men in my sport so, but who’s to tell me that it’s not OK to share my own personal experiences.
“I am a person. If another guy looks down on me because I struggle with depression or insecurities, that’s not my issue. It’s his.
“I think that it’s more my duty to be honest about who I am, so maybe people that are looking for inspiration can get help.”
