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Khalil Rountree was in a dark place in life before starting MMA.

Rountree challenges Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title in the main event at UFC 307 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. “The War Horse” recently detailed how the sport helped him out from difficult spot in life years ago.

Rountree was just 2 years old when he lost his father, who once worked as a bodyguard for Muhammad Ali. Without the presence of someone to assure him about life, Rountree feels he wasn’t strong enough to face some challenges.

“When I was 2 years old, my father was murdered,” Rountree said on the UFC 307 Countdown show. “He was a manager for Boyz II Men, New Edition. There was a time in his career where he was a personal bodyguard for Muhammad Ali. At his funeral I remember there being hundreds and thousands of people… I think the biggest thing was that I didn’t the courage to face certain challenges because I didn’t have anyon…

A bantamweight clash between Jose Aldo and Mario Bautista has been elevated to the UFC 307 main draw.

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The promotion officially announced the pay-per-view lineup during the UFC Paris broadcast on Sauturday. The shift comes after a featherweight showdown between Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev was postponed until UFC 310.

UFC 307 takes place on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship bout between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT before moving to ESPNEWS and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Aldo has won four of his last five fights at bantamweight. The former featherweight champion returned from retirement at UFC 301, where he captured a unanimous decision win against Jonathan Martinez on…

When Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena were part of “The Ultimate Fighter 18” cast in 2013, it seemed as though they would be destined to meet — either on the show or shortly thereafter.

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However, the two bantamweights didn’t cross paths on the show, and it took more than a decade before they were finally booked to meet within the Las Vegas-based promotion. On Saturday, Pennington will defend her 135-pound belt against Pena in the UFC 307 co-main event at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. In a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com, Pennington looked back on her interactions with Pena on “TUF 18,” where she quickly learned that their personalities didn’t mesh.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I hate Julianna. I don’t hate anybody. I don’t have all these ill emotions towards her,” Pennington said. “Did she get under my skin on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’? Absolutely. On top of being taken out of your comfort zone, you’re living with somebody, but…

Kayla Harrison might very well be the person nobody in the UFC women’s bantamweight division wants to face.

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After a dominant stoppage win against Holly Holm in her promotional — and 135-pound — debut at UFC 300, the two-time Olympic gold medalist will return to action to face Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday. On that same card, reigning bantamweight queen Raquel Pennington will defend her belt against Julianna Pena in the co-main event. Both Pennington and Pena have not been shy about voicing their displeasure when it comes to Harrison’s quick ascent through the division.

"I think everyone knows that it is only a matter of time [before I become champion]," Harrison recently told ESPN. "When the truth don't hurt, they start telling lies.”

Pena, who hasn’t fought since a July 2022 title loss to Amanda Nunes, has questioned whether Harrison is a clean athlete.. The former PFL champion has consistently brushed off t…

Brendan Allen believes he can beat Dricus Du Plessis even though he lost to Nassourdine Imavov on Saturday.

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Allen faced Imavov in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 243 at the Accor Arena in Paris. While Allen controlled Imavov on the ground in the opening stanza, the Frenchman outstruck “All In” on the feet as the fight progressed to earn a unanimous decision win.

Allen has long been eyeing reigning champ Du Plessis and was expecting a title shot against the South African if he beat Imavov. Du Plessis didn’t miss the chance to take a dig at Allen immediately after his loss at UFC Paris.

Tough luck @BrendanAllenMMA JK you suck loser 🤣

— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) September 28, 2024

Allen wasted no time in responding, accusing Du Plessis of consistently ducking him. Allen also claims he can beat the middleweight champ even though it wasn’t his night against Imavov.

“Says the one been ducking me s…

⏱️ 2️⃣ 1️⃣ SECONDS?! AND STILL💥

👑 LIGHTWEIGHT KING ROBERTO SATOSHI SOUZA GETS THE KO IN NO TIME 🇧🇷

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Featuring Michael Schiavello and Damien Brown on the mic! 🎤 #RIZIN #RIZIN48 #RIZINTV pic.twitter.com/c2Ummo0Bug

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) September 29, 2024 Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza scored the fastest victory in his 11-year MMA career at Rizin 48 in Saitama, Japan. De Souza, who now has 14 first-round finishes on his resume, knocked out title challenger Luiz Gustavo in just 21 seconds to cap off an entertaining card. Shortly after the opening bell, de Souza (17-3, 10-2 Rizin) landed a body kick and a right hook to the temple of Gustavo (14-3, 6-3 Rizin), who was trying to close the distance. The punch badly hurt Gustavo, who fell to his knees and then briefly rose to his feet before de Souza se…

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Sean Strickland thinks Khalil Rountree Jr. has nothing to offer Alex Pereira in their upcoming title fight.

Pereira will defend his light heavyweight title against Rountree in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Strickland is currently in Utah, helping his former foe train for his upcoming fight.

Strickland suffered a knockout loss against “Poatan” in 2022 and has since repeatedly acknowledged the Brazilian’s power and skillset. The former foes have trained together on multiple occasions. The former middleweight champ also has his own history with Rountree, having trained together in the past. Strickland first went off on Rountree for an emotional post-fight interview in 2022, calling the light heavyweight contender “a special needs adult.” Strickland has recently renewed his onslaught on Rountree leading up to UFC 307, recalling alleged instances from their past encounters.

UFC 307: Pereira vs. R…

Alex Pereira DENIES avoiding the Magomed Ankalaev fight:

“You gotta sort that with the organization…

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It’s not my fault that Ankalaev has such a boring style of fighting that nobody wants to watch.”

🎥 @KevinI #UFC #MMA #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/42OS04SuHr

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 28, 2024 Alex Pereira maintains that he never turned down an offer to fight Magomed Ankalaev.

Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. While he is riding a five-fight winning streak with four finishes, Rountree surpassing Ankalaev for a title shot was nonetheless a bit of a surprise.

Currently unbeaten in his last 12 outings, Ankalaev will face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. While many consider Ankalaev the rightful contender, Pereira previously hinted that the R…

A picture-perfect knee made Fares Ziam $50,000 richer on Saturday in Paris.

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The Kill Cliff FC-trained Frenchman secured one of four “Performance of the Night” bonuses awarded by the promotion at UFC Fight Night 243 for his third-round knockout of Matt Frevola in a featured lightweight encounter. Ziam rendered his opponent unconscious — dislodging his mouthpiece in the process — with a vicious knee in close quarters at the 2:59 mark of Round 3.

Elsewhere, Bryan Battle overwhelmed Kevin Jousset with striking volume to garner a $50,000 check in a welterweight bout. “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner put Jousset on his heels for good in the second stanza and sealed his victory with one final barrage at the 3:47 mark of the period.

Meanwhile, Morgan Charriere did his best to match countryman Ziam with a highlight-reel knockout of Gabriel Miranda in a featherweight showcase. “The Last Pirate” caught his foe off guard with a sneaky left hook 27 secon…

Renato "Moicano" Carneiro could be a dark horse contender for "Fighter of the Year." With wins over Drew Dober and Jalin Turner, Carneiro cemented himself as an elite lightweight contender with a bloody beatdown of Benoit St. Denis in front of thousands of opposing French fans in the UFC Fight Night 243 main event Saturday at the Accor Arena in Paris.

Carneiro (20-5-1) battered St. Denis throughout the opening stanza, busting his eyes and nose open with elbows and nasty ground-and-pound. The “God of War” was forced to cover up and wait out the bell to find peace. St. Denis’ corner pleaded with him to wake up or he would be humiliated in front of his hometown fans, but there was little he could do to slow down the Brazillian.

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Caneiro kept the leather on St. Denis in the second round. With both eyes swollen and blood profusely leaking out his face, St. Denis sat on the stool, stunned, as his corner worked to clean him up. Their work was impressive, but…

THE SCOTTISH TWISTER RETURNS! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Stevie Ray stops Lewis Long via submission in front of his family and his home crowd! #PFLGlasgow | LIVE NOW ON DAZN pic.twitter.com/J5oxpXNQIq

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) September 28, 2024 PFL Europe 3 determined the 2024 playoff finals and saw several Scottish fighters compete in Glasgow. Headlining the 14-fight Professional Fighters League event was a welterweight fight between hometown favorite Steven Ray and Lewis Long. There was immediate drama as Long (19-8) went for a takedown and got stuck in a tight guillotine choke attempt by the Scottish fighter. Ray (26-13) would later get an extended armbar put on Long, who showed incredible heart by battling out of it. The third time was the charm, though, as Ray would counter a takedown attempt by securing up a twister submission.

The tap officially came at 4:24 of Round 1.

Whiteford Outstrikes Huerta The co-main event saw Roger Huerta return to …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Paris Saturday at noon ET with UFC Fight Night 243. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scor…