Utah, we’re back for
#UFC307 in a BIG way 🏆@AlexPereiraUFC
vs @KhalilRountree@RockyPMMA
vs @VenezuelanVixen@StateOfSport
|
#StateOfSport | @DeltaCenter
|
#DeltaCenter pic.twitter.com/HjFbqbxtTx— UFC (@ufc)
August 16, 2024
Alex
Pereira is the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most reliable champion these
days.
Last week, the promotion officially confirmed that
UFC 307 would be held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on
Oct. 5. A number of bouts were set in stone at that time, including
Kayla
Harrison vs. Ketlen
Vieira at 135 pounds. The organization announced
on Friday the main card lineup, including two championship affairs
that would sit atop the billing. In the co-main attraction,
Raquel
Pennington (16-8) will be putting her 135-pound throne up for
grabs against ex-champ Julianna
Pena (11-5). The headliner will see Pereira (11-2) defend his
light heavyweight crown against Khalil
Rountree (13-5, 1 NC).
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“Poatan” has twice saved the day for the UFC this year, serving as
the man on the marquee for UFCs 300 and 303—the former in the
frontrunner for “Event of the Year” and the latter in a
short-notice title defense. The light heavyweight kingpin will aim
to defend his belt for the third time while riding a four-fight win
streak in his relatively new division. The ex-middleweight champion
claimed the strap from Israel
Adesanya in 2022, only to surrender it back to his rival a
little under five months later. He celebrates an 82% knockout rate
as a pro.
Rountree is coming off of a suspension from the UFC’s drug-testing
agency Combat Sports Anti-Doping, where he was forced away from the
sport for two months after admitting to taking DHEA. The CSAD
reviewed Rountree’s case and determined he inadvertently took the
substance, resulting in a lesser ban that kept him out of UFC 303
earlier this year. While the Nevada State Athletic Commission has
still not levied its own sanctions, it appears the organization has
determined any decision they make will not keep “The War Horse” out
of action in October.
Bantamweight queen Pennington seized gold when she picked up the
vacant belt against Mayra
Bueno Silva in January. This victory capped off a six-fight win
streak, which remains the longest in her career, one that saw her
overcome names including Ketlen
Vieira, Macy
Chiasson and Aspen Ladd
on her way up. She is one triumph short of the women’s 135-pound
record in the UFC for wins (12), while she already serves as the
most active combatant in divisional history (17).
This will be Pena’s first appearance in the Octagon in over two
years, as she last stepped in the cage in July 2022 against
Amanda
Nunes. That rematch with “The Lioness” ultimately proved
unsuccessful, as Nunes battered her in a pillar-to-post performance
for 25 minutes. Since joining the roster as the winner of “The
Ultimate Fighter Season 18” in 2013, Pena has averaged fewer than
one fight a year. Her last win came in 2021, in an “Upset of the
Year” submission over Nunes.