The
Ultimate Fighting Championship is not messing around with its
return to Salt Lake City.
A pair of major fights at 135 pounds will play out at the Delta
Center in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5—the venue is still not confirmed
by the promotion—as announced on Friday. The first comes between
former featherweight king Jose Aldo
(32-8) and Mario
Bautista (14-2), first reported by Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight.
The second brings top contender Kayla
Harrison (17-1) into a likely title eliminator against Ketlen
Vieira (14-3), and Super
Lutas broke the news on that pairing. Both UFC 307
bouts have since been confirmed by
multiple outlets.
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Aldo hung up his gloves in 2022 following a loss to Merab
Dvalishvili, and briefly tested the waters in boxing in 2023.
Over in the sweet science, Aldo fought to a draw with former MMA
foe Jeremy
Stephens, and he captured a six-round decision over Esteban
Gabriel Espindola before coming back to the cage. His return, which
he stated might be the final fight of his tenure, came against
Jonathan
Martinez in his home country of Brazil. Aldo pulled off the
upset, winning the decision much to the delight of local fans.
Bautista comes into this matchup with plenty of momentum, as the
winner of six straight outings. Along the way up the talent-rich
bantamweight division, the MMA Lab export landed three first-round
submissions including an ultra-rare reverse triangle armbar of
Benito
Lopez in 2023. Most recently, Bautista pocketed decision
victories over Da’Mon
Blackshear and Ricky
Simon, recording the latter win in January.
Ex-lightweight Harrison made a splash in the UFC in April,
throttling former champ Holly Holm in
under seven minutes in her promotional debut. A multiple-time
champion at Professional Fighters League, Harrison lost in
a major upset at the end of the 2022 season to rival Larissa
Pacheco. Although she rebounded a year later by taking home a
decision against Aspen Ladd,
Harrison ended her contract and looked towards the UFC.
Brazil’s Vieira has served as a perennial contender at 135 pounds,
working her way initially into contention by stringing together
four wins as an unbeaten fighter to vie for a title eliminator
against Irene
Aldana. On her way up, she tapped Sara McMann
and outworked Cat Zingano,
but Aldana put her down with a barrage of punches. Vieira also
celebrates a win over Holm, but in early 2023, she lost to future
champ Raquel
Pennington. Having gone the distance in six straight,
“Fenomeno” last competed in July 2023, where she picked up the nod
on all three scorecards over Pannie
Kianzad.
UFC 307 is expected to take place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake
City, and there is current no headliner announced. It is rumored
that Pennington will put her bantamweight belt up for grabs against
Julianna
Pena on the Oct. 5 show, but that fight is not official.
Additional fights on the billing include a featherweight scrap
between Movsar
Evloev and Aljamain
Sterling, Marina
Rodriguez vs. Iasmin
Lucindo at strawweight and a 185-pound tilt when Cesar
Almeida faces Ihor
Potieria.