UFC 307 goes down this Saturday inside the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, with two title fights at the top of the bill as light heavyweight champion superstar Alex Pereira takes on the vicious contender Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event.
Click here to watch UFC 307’s fighter weigh-ins. Footage via ‘MMA Junkie’ on YouTube.
UFC 307 Main Event: Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
UFC 307’s main event bout features two highlight reel strikers crossing paths as the enigmatic champion Alex Pereira (11-2-0) looks to continue his takeover of the division against No. 8-ranked contender Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-5-0, 1NC).
This main event matchup is sure to deliver a highlight reel finish, as both men will try to keep the fight going.
Pereira, 37, is looking to continue his winning ways after delivering spectacular finishes in his recent fights against Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka.
To many pundits and fans’ surprise, Rountree Jr., 34, is in this title fight position. That said, he has had a resurgence in his career, riding a five-fight win streak, winning against the likes of Anthony Smith, Chris Daukus, and Dustin Jacoby.
Rountree Jr. will fight out of a southpaw stance and will look to deliver vicious hooks around Pereira’s parry attempt. The challenger also likes to threaten oblique kicks to the knees of his opponents, so it is likely that he will attempt this in the fight.
That said, I see the champion imposing his size on the challenger in this striking affair, leading to a knockout.
Pereira will be looking to establish a safe striking range early on by utilizing jabs to Rountree Jr.’s body and head accompanied by low kicks to the lead leg.
Once Pereira has accumulated a fair amount of damage to Rountree Jr.’s legs, he will look to set up a finishing blow. I predict a second-round flying knee knockout for the champion.
Prediction: Pereira via KO/TKO R2
UFC 307 Co-main Event: Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena
UFC 307’s co-main event features the women’s bantamweight title on the line between reigning champion Raquel Pennington (16-9-0) and former champion Julianna Pena (12-5-0).
This women’s bantamweight title fight features Ultimate Fighter contestants Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena. Both were featured on the show, and Pena ended up winning the season and becoming the first woman ‘TUF’ winner.
Pennington, 36, comes into this matchup on a six-fight win streak dating back to 2020. She defeated Mayra Bueno Silva, Ketlen Vieira, and Macy Chiasson during this win streak.
Pena, 35, has been out of the cage for a fair amount of time and will be looking to knock off the rust. Her last appearance came on July 30, 2022, when she was dominated by Amanda Nunes in their UFC 277 rematch.
That said, I see Pennington’s more active and experienced fighter edging out a decision over the former champion Pena.
Pennington has the advantage of striking between the two, which will be the deciding factor in their UFC 307 fight.
Prediction: Pennington via Decision
Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
The ‘king of rio’ returns to the cage at UFC 307 as No. 10-ranked bantamweight Jose Aldo (32-8-0) takes on the surging contender No. 11-ranked Mario Bautista (14-2-0) on the main card.
This UFC 307 main card fight showcases an intriguing stylistic matchup between the former pound-for-pound king and featherweight champion Jose Aldo taking on the rising prospect Mario Bautista.
Bautista, 31, is the younger and fresher fighter in this fight, having racked up notable wins over Ricky Simon and Da’Mon Blackshear.
Aldo, 38, has faced the best the UFC offers at featherweight and bantamweight. The former featherweight champion’s bantamweight run has featured wins over ranked competition such as Rob Font, Marlon Vera, and Jonathan Martinez.
That said, I see the older and more experienced fighter in Aldo coming out of this fight victorious.
Aldo’s recent form has been nothing short of impressive, particularly in his fight against Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in May.
His sharpness and agility were on full display, instilling confidence in his abilities.
Aldo will have the perfect answer for Bautista’s grappling efforts in this fight at altitude in Utah. Cardio will be a huge factor in this fight, and the younger fighter may struggle to control his gas tank.
Once Aldo is able to stuff Bautista’s takedown efforts, he will look to land powerful hooks on the body and head. Another weapon that Aldo will use a lot in this matchup is the step-in knee.
If Aldo emerges victorious in this UFC 307 fight, the prospect of him facing former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in a future bout is an exciting possibility that fans can look forward to.
Prediction: Aldo via Decision
Other Fights on UFC 307
Main Card:
- (W 135 lbs.) Ketlen Vieira (14-3-0) vs. Kayla Harrison (17-1-0): Harrison via Decision
- (185 lbs.) Roman Dolidze (13-3-0) vs. Kevin Holland (26-11-0, 1NC): Holland via Decision
Prelims:
- (170 lbs.) Stephen Thompson (17-7-1) vs. Joaquin Buckley (19-6-0): Buckley via Decision
- (W 115 lbs.) Marina Rodriguez (17-4-2) vs. Lasmin Lucindo (16-5-0): Rodriguez via Decision
- (155 lbs.) Austin Hubbard (17-7-0) vs. Alexander Hernandez (14-8-0): Hernandez via Decision
- (185 lbs.) Cesar Almeida (5-1-0) vs. Ihor Potieria (20-6-0): Almeida via KO/TKO R2
Early Prelims:
- (205 lbs.) Ryan Spann (21-10-0) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (27-17-0): Spann via KO/TKO R1
- (W 115 lbs.) Carla Esparza (20-7-0) vs. Tecia Pennington (13-7-0): Pennington via Decision
- (170 lbs.) Court McGee (22-13-0) vs. Tim Means (33-16-1, 1NC): Means via Decision
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