UFC 307 LIVE: Alex Pereira knocks out Khalil Rountree in brutal main event
Relive the action as Alex Pereira brutally knocked out Khalil Rountree at UFC 307
In the main event of UFC 307 on Saturday, Alex Pereira brutally knocked out Khalil Rountree Jr to continue his hot streak in the Octagon.
Rountree provided the biggest challenge yet faced by Pereira as light heavyweight champion - but as the bout entered the championship rounds, an exhausted and bloodied Rountree could only take so much punishment, succumbing to defeat towards the end of the fourth.
In the co-main event, Julianna Pena reclaimed her throne at women’s bantamweight, defeating Raquel Pennington by split decision.
In her post-fight interview, Pena called on Amanda Nunes to come out of retirement to set up a trilogy bout, snubbing any insinuation that Kayla Harrison - who also emerged victorious on Saturday - was next in line for the belt.
Other star fighters in action included Jose Aldo against Mario Bautista, while fan favourite Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson also took to the cage in a star-studded featured prelim against Joaquin Buckley.
Relive all the action and all the undercard results from UFC 307 below:
UFC 307: How much will altitude play a factor?
The UFC is back in Salt Lake City tonight, a location that has become a bit of a regular on the PPV calendar. It’s where Leon Edwards headkicked Kamaru Usman into oblivion to win the welterweight title back in 2022, lest we forget.
However, fightcards in Utah pose a challenge unlike any other in the US: altitude.
Jose Aldo, who is in action tonight against Mario Bautista, learnt first hand how impactful altitude can be when he fought cardio king Merab Dvalishvili on that same card as Edwards vs Usman 2 - as did many fighters, especially heavyweights, who just found themselves gassing in the first few minutes.
If fighters haven’t factored in altitude properly and acclimatised to the conditions early prior to the event, then UFC 307 could throw up some very surprising results.
Do not write off an upset...
Pereira ‘one of the best'
Brazil’s Alex Pereira returns to the octagon for the third time in 2024 having enjoyed a swift rise to the top of the UFC.
He’s won titles at middleweight and light-heavyweight since joining the promotion in November 2021 and is now looking to make history as he defends his belt for a third time.
Ronda Rousey holds the current UFC record for the shortest period between three consecutive title defences, achieving that feat in 189 days, while Pereira - if successful - will have done it just 175 days.
“I’m one of the best, the numbers don’t lie,” he said, “Fans want to see fights and I deliver fights.”
Khalil Rountree to bring ‘best version of me'
Khalil Rountree has not competed since December 2023 and was removed from the UFC 303 card after being suspended for two months following a positive test for anabolic steroid DHEA in a urine sample.
Due to his co-operation, Rountree, who denied intentionally doping, was given a retrospective ban that expired on 18 September and was fined £119.14.
“Look at the guy’s record, look at what he’s done. It would be extra sweet [to win], it would be major,” Rountree said when speaking about facing Alex Pereira.
“The main reason I’ve always wanted this fight is for the fans - you’ve got two of the best strikers in the world going at it. When I step in there you get the best version of me.”
UFC 306 LIVE: Carla Esparza edged out on scorecards in retirement fight
That’s all she wrote for Carla Esparza as she bows out on a career in mixed martial arts - and the Cookie Monster has done herself proud in her last ever fight.
In a nice full-circle rematch of their TUF 20 bout, Esparza took Tecia Pennington - wife of women’s bantamweight champion Raquel - to the wire in the second early prelim of the night, but was just edged out on the scorecards after a closely-fought 15 minutes.
As a two-time champion, Esparza hangs up her gloves as a historic piece of the strawweight puzzle.
"It's been an amazing journey these last 15 years I've fought the best of the best, and it's not always easy," Esparza said in her post-fight interview.
"There's ups and downs in the sport, but I wouldn't have done it any other way. This is the greatest sport in the world.
“And thank you to all the UFC fans, my friends, my family, the awesome UFC staff, just my coach Colin Oyama who's been with me from day one, and my manager, Brian. Just everybody, I'm so, man, I just, I love this sport. Thank you guys so much."
Harrrison believes she is UFC’s ‘uncrowned quenn'
Kayla Harrison believes she is the “uncrowned queen” in the UFC as she prepares for her fight against Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City this weekend.
The winner will be in line for a shot at the bantamweight title next time out as bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington and challenger Julianna Pena also fight on tonight’s card.
“I’m the uncrowned queen,” Harrison said. “First, Saturday night I smash Ketlen and then I come for my title, so enjoy it while you can ladies.”
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.
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