UFC 307 LIVE: Fight updates and undercard results as Alex Pereira battles Khalil Rountree
Alex Pereira targets another big UFC win against Khalil Rountree Jr, while Raquel Pennington, Jose Aldo and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson also feature in an action-packed card
In the main event of UFC 307 on Saturday, Alex Pereira battles Khalil Rountree Jr with ‘Poatan’ aiming to continue his hot streak in the Octagon.
Pereira is now considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet after seizing the light heavyweight title at UFC 295, and a devastating knockout against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 further underlined his status as one of the most feared men in MMA.
But now Rountree provides a new test and an intriguing matchup after Dana White elevated ‘The War Horse’ into this title fight having served a four-month suspension for a failed drug test.
Other star fighters in action include Raquel Pennington, who defends her bantamweight title against former champ Julianna Pena, with Jose Aldo against Mario Bautista, plus Kevin Holland locks horns with Roman Dolidze, with fan favourite Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson also in action.
Follow live updates and all the undercard results from UFC 307 below:
Conor McGregor targets fight against ‘woeful’ UFC champion after Michael Chandler
Conor McGregor has claimed he would like to fight UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad as he looks to decide on an opponent for his return to the sport next year.
McGregor had agreed to fight American lightweight Michael Chandler at UFC 305 in June, before pulling out after injuring his toe in the lead-up to the fight.
“He’s woeful. I want to fight him,” McGregor said of the 36-year-old.
“OK, Chandler is next. Belal-McGregor, UFC welterweight world title fight on the line. I have multiple knockouts at 170. I’m a force to be reckoned with at 170. I do damage at 170,” he added.
“Check the stats. One hundred percent accuracy, this man hasn’t even got a knockdown in UFC history. Not one knockdown! It’s embarrassing, to be honest. Kind of slow-rolling a person. They’re all bums.”
How can I watch it?
The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. Discovery+ will also air the action in the UK. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the event live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
When is UFC 307?
UFC 307 takes place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday October 5.
The early prelims are due to begin at 12.30am BST on Sunday (4.30pm PT / 6.30pm CT / 7.30pm ET on Saturday), with the prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday (5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then scheduled for 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT / 9pm CT / 10pm ET on Saturday).
UFC 307 LIVE
In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington defends her bantamweight title for the first time since securing the strap at UFC 297, taking on former champion Julianna Pena who will be eager to reclaim the throne.
Elsewhere on the main card, Kevin Holland kicking things off in an exciting middleweight matchup with Georgian brawler Roman Dolidze, while the likes of Jose Aldo and Kayla Harrison are also in action.
So stacked is this event that fan favourite Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson has been relegated to the prelims, facing off against Joaquin Buckley in a hotly-anticipated welterweight scrap.
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
1. Islam Makhachev (26-1, lightweight champion)
Some used to question the Russian’s credentials, given a lack of top-tier opponents on his record, though that was arguably due to fighters’ tentativeness to risk their rankings against a dangerous up-and-comer. Others accused Makhachev of benefiting from his connection to Khabib – his childhood friend and now one of Makhachev’s coaches. Regardless, the 32-year-old banished any doubt in 2022 when he submitted Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight title, suggesting that he would have done the same to most contenders at 155lb.
Makhachev then made it 13 wins in a row by beating Volkanovski twice in eight months, retaining his title against the then-featherweight champion on both occasions. In February 2023, Makhachev outpointed the Aussie in Perth, then in October, he knocked him out with a head kick in round one. Volkanovski had stepped in on short notice for the rematch, but Makhachev was also affected by the late replacement, after Oliveira – his original opponent – suffered a cut over his eye.
Those victories saw Makhachev rise to No 1 in our rankings, a position he solidified with his submission of lightweight great Dustin Poirier in June.
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
2. Alex Pereira (11-2, light-heavyweight champion)
The Brazilian kickboxing extraordinaire enjoyed a rapid rise through the middleweight rankings after transitioning to MMA, culminating in a knockout of his old rival Israel Adesanya in 2022 to take the title. Although Pereira was stopped by Adesanya in a rematch last April, he bounced back with a swift move up to light-heavyweight, where he outpointed former champion Jan Blachowicz.
In his next fight, Pereira fought for the vacant 205lb title, beating another ex-champion in Jiri Prochazka to secure two-weight-champion status in record time. Pereira, 36, sealed that feat with a second-round TKO. Next up for Pereira was a title defence against his predecessor atop the 205lb division, Jamahal Hill, in the main event of UFC 300 – a fight that Pereira won early and emphatically.
At UFC 303, Pereira stepped up on two weeks’ notice to defend the title again, knocking out Prochazka in the second round for the second time in seven months. Earlier in his career, by the way, Pereira also recorded a knockout of Sean Strickland, who would go on to become middleweight champion.
As some have said, “Poatan” is speed-running a Hall of Fame career.
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
3. Tom Aspinall (15-3, interim heavyweight champion)
Aspinall almost entered our rankings in November, when he demolished Sergei Pavlovich to win the interim heavyweight title, but he finally got the nod this January. Then, in July, he shot from 10th to third.
The Briton, 31, was the future of heavyweight MMA, now he is the present: a remarkable athlete who moves like a lightweight while hitting like his predecessors. He holds the record for the shortest average fight time for an athlete with five or more UFC bouts – and barring his early injury in a fight with Curtis Blaydes in 2022, he has won them all.
In fact, Aspinall avenged that loss with a first-minute KO of Blaydes this July, retaining the interim title – while Jones and Miocic wait to reschedule their delayed clash for the regular belt. Whoever wins that fight, if they do not retire afterwards, should be very afraid of Aspinall.
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
4. Dricus Du Plessis (22-2, middleweight champion)
It is funny to think the South African is still derided, with many fans saying his bulldozing, ungainly style will eventually be his undoing. Yet that style has led Du Plessis to victories over some of the best middleweights ever, and to the middleweight title. The 30-year-old won a narrow decision in a battle with Sean Strickland in January, making him South Africa’s first UFC champion, and that win was sandwiched between stoppages of former title holders Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker – two of the best fighters the division has ever seen.
“Stillknocks” also holds wins over Darren Till, Derek Brunson and Brad Tavares, is unbeaten in the UFC, and has secured 20 of his 22 wins via stoppage – with a near-even split of KOs and submissions. To that point, he TKOed Whittaker and submitted Adesanya, with the latter result moving him three places up the rankings.
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
5. Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC; heavyweight champion)
When Jones returned to the UFC in 2023 after a three-year absence, winning the heavyweight title by submitting Ciryl Gane in the first round, many believed that the American confirmed himself as the greatest of all time. A lot of fans also felt he should go straight to the top of any pound-for-pound list. And Jones’s victory certainly was impressive, particularly due to its manner and the factors around the 37-year-old’s heavyweight debut.
It was enough for the former two-time light-heavyweight champion to shoot straight into our rankings at No 2. However, his lack of activity has seen him drop by two spots following his injury in October, which derailed his planned clash with heavyweight ‘GOAT’ Stipe Miocic. That fight might get rebooked later this year, but a unification bout with interim champion Aspinall could also be on the cards...
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
6. Alexander Volkanovski (26-4, featherweight)
After suffering the first defeat of his pro career in 2013, Volkanovski won a stunning 22 fights in a row. In fact, his only pro losses had come against a welterweight champion and a lightweight champion until February, when he finally lost the UFC featherweight title.
Two of those defeats came in 2023, with Volkanovski losing a narrow decision to Islam Makhachev in February while challenging for the 155lb belt, then suffering a shock, early knockout against the Russian in their rematch. Those results, the latter coming after Volk stepped in on short notice, saw the Australian drop from No 1 to No 4 here. The 35-year-old then fell by one more spot after losing his 145lb belt to rising star Ilia Topuria, who knocked out “Alexander The Great” in February.
In any case, Volk remains one of the best to ever do it, his four-year title reign consisting of wins over Max Holloway (thrice), Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Brian Ortega, Yair Rodriguez and the Chan Sung Jung.
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