On paper, UFC 307 looks like one of the strongest cards on the promotion’s 2024 calendar. The card will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 5.
It will be headlined by light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defending his title against Khalil Rountree. Despite the cancellation of the Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev bout due to an injury to the former, the card has many recognizable names and two title fights.
Take a look at the most updated card:
Main Card
- (c) Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (Light Heavyweight Championship)
- (c) Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña (Women’s Bantamweight Championship)
- José Aldo vs. Mario Bautista (Bantamweight)
- Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira (Bantamweight)
- Stephen Thompson vs. Joaquin Buckley (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo (Strawweight)
- Ihor Potieria vs. César Almeida (Middleweight)
- Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington (Strawweight)
- Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland (Middleweight)
- Ovince St. Preux vs. Ryan Spann (Light Heavyweight)
- Tim Means vs. Court McGee (Welterweight)
Pereira looks like the current favorite to win Fighter of the Year honors. If he defeats Rountree, making a case against him will be hard. The fight with Rountree will be Pereira’s third of the year, and all three have been championship battles.
Alex Pereira’s Last Five Fights
- Win against Jiri Prochazka by KO/TKO (head kick, punches) at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024.
- Win against Jamahal Hill by KO/TKO (punch) at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024.
- Win against Jiri Prochazka by KO/TKO (elbows) at UFC 295 on November 11, 2023.
- Win against Jan Blachowicz by split decision at UFC 291 on July 29, 2023.
- Loss to Israel Adesanya by KO/TKO (punch) at UFC 287 on April 8, 2023.
Rountree was supposed to fight on UFC 300, but a failed drug test, reportedly due to a contaminated supplement, forced him off the card. Rountree will get an even more significant opportunity in October when he gets a shot at a world title.
Khalil Rountree’s Last Five Fights
- Win against Anthony Smith by KO/TKO (punch) at UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutierrez on December 9, 2023.
- Win against Chris Daukaus by KO/TKO (punch) at UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Dos Anjos on August 12, 2023.
- Win against Dustin Jacoby by split decision at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen on October 29, 2022.
- Win against Karl Roberson by KO/TKO (punch) at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev on March 12, 2022.
- Win against Modestas Bukauskas by KO/TKO (kick) at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till on September 4, 2021.
In the co-main event, women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington will defend her title against Julianna Pena. Pennington will be making the first defense of the title she won at UFC 297 against Mayra Bueno Silva. Pennington hadn’t lost a fight in nearly five years when Holly Holm outpointed her in January 2020.
Raquel Pennington’s Last 5 Fights
- Win against Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024.
- Win against Ketlen Vieira by split decision at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov on January 14, 2023.
- Win against Aspen Ladd by unanimous decision at UFC 273 on April 9, 2022.
- Win against Macy Chiasson by submission (guillotine choke) at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus on December 18, 2021.
- Win against Pannie Kianzad by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann on September 18, 202
Former champion Pena has battled tons of injuries during her MMA career. It’s been over two years since she competed in the UFC. Pena’s last fight came in July 2022 when she lost her title to Amanda Nunes.
Pena had defeated Nunes in their first meeting but fell short during the matchup. If the main card already consists of Pereira-Rountree and Pennington-Pena, the addition of Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Viera and Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista round out an intriguing main card.