UFC 307 Preview
The UFC is invading the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday October 5th for UFC 307. The main event will be for the light heavyweight title as champion Alex Pereira defends his belt against #8 Khlail Rountree Jr.
Pereira is a two-time champion, and he is coming off a second round TKO in a rematch over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 in June. He is looking to defend the title for the third time in 2024 and will be fighting in his fourth title fight in less than a year. He won the vacant belt in the first fight against Prochazka at UFC 295 in November 2023.
The Brazilian responded to the critics saying Rountree was undeserving of a title shot. “He does deserve it,” Pereira said. “The same happened with me. He kind of jumped on the rankings, but is due to the work that he puts in. I put the work like that too, keep beating some guys and then the opportunity presents.”
After Pereira’s last win, rumors started of him either moving back down to middleweight where he once held the title, or moving up to heavyweight to become a three-weight champion. He made it clear which weight he is most comfortable at. “I would choose to defend my belt,” Pereira said. “Because it takes a planned work to cut down in weight, and it takes planned work to move up as well, but it’s perfect for this division.”
MMA fans are clamoring for Pereira to fight current heavyweight champion Jon Jones as he is widely considered the greatest MMA fighter of all-time. Pereira responded, “He’s made it pretty clear that he’s only doing one more fight and retiring,” Pereira said. “And I’m not even part of this division, so I would be far from doing that fight. And I have an open mind, so training and learning from him is something I would absolutely do.”
Pereira has respect for Rountree but is confident he can do what it takes to remain a champion. “Khalil is a strong, dangerous guy. Someone who is hungry, who has a dream,” Pereira said. “But, I will use my fight IQ and my experience. I always put pressure on my opponents and if they’re not ready for it, they break. It doesn’t matter if its by decision, knockout, or submission. My goal is to remain champion.”
No other fighter has achieved what Pereira has in such a short amount of time. He will be fighting just his 10th fight in the UFC and it will be his sixth fight for a title. He made his debut less than three years ago and has already achieved hall of fame status. If he can defeat Rountree, there will be plenty of light heavyweights waiting for their shot at him. Despite what Pereira says about fighting at heavyweight, it is too early to rule out that move just yet.
Rountree has won five straight fights with four coming by TKO. He most recently defeated former title challenger Anthony Smith by third round TKO in December. After an inconsistent start to his UFC career, he now finds himself in the biggest fight of his life under the brightest lights. How does he feel?
“It’s definitely just a testament to hard work, dedication, staying focused and keeping the vision alive,” Rountree said. “Now I’m here and it just feels good. I’m glad I’m here. I see the work it took to get here, and I’m prepared.”
The 34-year-old feels confident that he is a challenge that Pereira has yet to see. “I’m a unique challenge because I’m a unique fighter and I bring a different skillset to the challenge,” Rountree said. “I think my style matches up perfectly, I think my style gives me a high chance of winning, and not to really compare to the other guys, but it’s my time.”
Rountree believes UFC fans will be pleased on Saturday night. “This is a super exciting fight for the fans,” Rountree said. “You couldn’t ask for a better matchup in this division. Two guys, predominantly strikers, heavy hitters, we’re at the top of the mountain. This is like a Mortal Kombat level… I don’t think any fan will be disappointed.”
While the pundits have convinced UFC fans and Pereira that Rountree will change his game plan and wrestle, Rountree has made the promise he will not change who he is as a fighter. “From my end, I’ve said it before, I want to go out there and give the fans what they expect to see from me. And I don’t think that fans really expect to see me wrestle. So, I want to do this in the most exciting way possible. I want to give the fans the most exciting fight.
“And who knows where it goes. But what I can say with confidence is that whatever happens and whatever fight this turns out to be, it’s going to be highly entertaining,” Rountree said.
Rountree is 9-5-1 in the UFC with his biggest win to date coming over Smith. He has proven when he is focused is he is one of the most dangerous light heavyweights in the world, but in the fights he has lost he has been criticized of not showing up. He will need to channel the most extreme versions of when he has been great to shock the world on Saturday.
The co-main event of UFC 307 will be for the women’s bantamweight title between champion Raquel Pennington and former champion Julianna Pena.
Pennington will be making her first defense of the title since winning the belt in her last fight with unanimous decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297. She has been fighting in the UFC since 2014 and challenged for the title in 2018 unsuccessfully against all-time great Amanda Nunes. The champion now will fight the fight she has coveted the most.
“This is a fight that wasn’t just an eight-week camp for me — this is a fight that has been on my mind for 11 years,” Pennington said.
She continued, “It’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time and I don’t understand how it hasn’t happened,” said Pennington. “I always asked, and she was either injured or didn’t want to fight me.
"It just never made sense to me,” she added. “I was always like, ‘Make her sign on the damn line! I want this fight!”
Pennington has talked about staying focused before facing the outspoken Pena. “It’s just exciting for it to actually happen, but I’m also the type of person where this is just competition,” said Pennington, who has never been one to get drawn into social media squabbles or engage in trash talking. “At the end of the day, she can run her mouth — we all know she’s gonna run her mouth; I don’t think she ever gets sick of hearing herself talk — but I’m gonna get my hand raised, defend my title successfully, and then shake her hand…or at least try.”
The 36-year-old continued speaking about her long journey to becoming a champion. “Listen, to make it simple: I am genuinely, genuinely proud of myself,” she said, beaming. “I was never handed a single thing. I have always worked from the bottom up and always been the underdog, and to be where I’m at, achieving things for myself as an athlete, as a person, changing my family’s life, building a legacy that I have for myself that I get to pass on to my daughter; I am just so proud of myself.
“When you get into fighting, the ultimate goal is to get into the UFC and stay in the UFC. I’ve been in the UFC now for 11 years; that’s not something easy to do. On top of that, I’ve fought the best of the best. The next goal is that we all want to be world champion, so we’re already the top one percent of people that do this stuff, and to break down who actually fights for a world title, most athletes don’t ever get that opportunity.
“Some athletes — hell, I was one of them: I fought for the world title the first time and I failed,” she added, referencing her UFC 224 loss at the hands of Nunes in Rio de Janeiro. “It’s not an easy journey.
Pena has not fought since losing the title in a rematch against Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 in 2022. She talked about taking the time off.
“I would say the biggest thing that I hate about taking this amount of time off is that the fans have forgotten you and they don't remember you anymore,” said Pena. “So I feel like I have to climb back up and claw my way back up just to remind everybody, hello, I'm still here and I am who I say I am. And you're going to have to be reminded. And that's my job to remind them. But sometimes I just wish I wouldn't have to remind them.”
Pena continued, “There's always those people that talk about ring rust and all that stuff, and there's got to be some truth to that, but I have constantly had these breaks, whether it be injuries or pregnancy or things that have kept me out of the sport for years on end,” she said. “And then, when I come back, all is well again. So I don't ever look at it like, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven't competed in two years. What am I going to do?’ I'm like, this is just the way that it is. And when I get there, I'll do what I know how to do instinctually, and everything will be fine, and the chips are going to fall how they fall. But, I don't look at it like, ‘Ah, panic, ring rust.’ I just look at it as, yeah, I had to take the time off and that's just the way that it is. And I'm not going to think too much about it or broadcast it or highlight it because, at the end of the day, I know I can fight and when that cage door closes, I'm going to give them hell or die trying and everybody knows that.”
The former champion is willing to do what it takes to once again be at the top. “I've always been the underdog,” she said. “I'll take that slot. You go ahead and label me whatever you want. When that cage door closes, I am willing to die to get my hand raised. And I don't think that Raquel has as much of that desire that I have, as much of that hunger and that want, and that competitiveness that I do.”
The previous championship experience has made Pena confident. “I might not have that official title, but, for me, in my head, walking around and going everywhere, I am the champion, and I feel that way.”
The rest of the main card:
Bantamweight - #10 José Aldo vs. #11 Mario Bautista
Women's Bantamweight - #2 Ketlen Vieira vs. #3 Kayla Harrison
Middleweight - #10 Roman Dolidze vs. #15 Kevin Holland
ESPN+ Prelims:
Welterweight - #9 Stephen Thompson vs. #11 Joaquin Buckley
Women's Strawweight - #6 Marina Rodriguez vs. #14 Iasmin Lucindo
Lightweight - Austin Hubbard vs. Alexander Hernandez
Middleweight - César Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria
Early Prelims ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass:
Light Heavyweight - Ryan Spann vs. Ovince Saint Preux
Women's Strawweight - Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
Welterweight - Court McGee vs. Tim Means
