Boyz II Men will be keeping an extra close eye on UFC 307 on Saturday night ... 'cause the legendary R&B group has a special and tragic connection to Khalil Rountree.
Shawn Stockman and Nathan Morris, two-thirds of the 4x Grammy Award-winning group, joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) this week where they talked about the Rountrees.
Back in 1992, Khalil's dad, Roderick "Khalil" Rountree, was Boyz II Men's road manager. After a May 1992 show in the Chicago area, Khalil was gunned down by three men who'd been caught trying to break into his hotel room, according to reports.
Rountree tragically died ... leaving two-year-old Khalil Jr. without a father.
32+ years later, although the guys don't stay in constant contact, an unbreakable bond remains.
"We used to see each other a lot more when [Khalil] was younger. But obviously, time happens. He went on to become this amazing, incredible UFC fighter which was a shock, in a pleasant way, to me. Just to see him, knowing him as a baby and remembering him as a little baby, and seeing him grow up to be this incredible athletic, incredibly strong ass whooper. It's amazing," Stockman said.
"The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. His father was also very much a person that you didn't want to F-around and find out about either. So it's in his blood. To some degree, it's not that surprising. I just didn't think that it'd get to the point where he'd be a professional fighter. We are very proud of him."
Khalil, now 34 years old, is preparing to step into the Octagon for the most important fight of his career ... where he'll take on champion Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title.
When he steps into the cage ... you can bet Boys II Men will be tuning in.
"We gonna try to watch it or either tape it. We have about three shows in a row the next couple of days," Nathan said, adding, "It's just amazing. It really, really is."
Going forward, Shawn and Nate say they hope they can come together with Khalil Jr. at a future event ... whether it's walking him to the cage, singing the National Anthem, or just watching from an Octagon-side seat.
But, win, lose, or draw ... the whole group takes pride in the man Rountree has become -- as his dad would've, too.
"He was just the cutest, sweetest kid," Shawn said ... "We're proud of him, that he's grown up to be such a reputable fighter, and I know his dad is very, very proud."