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 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.
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
7. Leon Edwards (22-4, 1 NC; welterweight)
Edwards became Britain’s second UFC champion with a stunning, last-gasp knockout of Kamaru Usman in 2022. After taking down the Nigerian-American – something no fighter had ever done in the UFC – Edwards continually rose to his feet amid an onslaught of grappling pressure, keeping himself in the fight. Then, with a minute left on the clock, he knocked Usman out cold with a head kick.
In 2023, Edwards outpointed Usman in London to solidify his status as champion, before further cementing that status by beating Colby Covington. Edwards put on clinical displays in both decision wins, showing just how well rounded he is – one of the best examples of the modern mixed martial artist.
The Jamaican-born southpaw, 32, won 12 fights in a row after a points loss to Usman in 2015, save for a No Contest against Belal Muhammad in 2021. And his fine run was finally ended by Muhammad in July 2024, as the Palestinian-American outpointed Edwards in Manchester. That result saw Edwards drop from third to seventh here.
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
8. Ilia Topuria (15-0, featherweight champion)
Spoke ‘arrogantly’ about his chances against featherweight great Alexander Volkanovski in February, only for his words to prove prophetic. Topuria, 27, brutally knocked out the Australian in the second round, taking the 145lb title and becoming the first UFC champion to represent Spain or Georgia. That win also kept Topuria unbeaten, moving him to 15-0. “El Matador”’s versatility is evidenced by his record, too; eight of his wins have come by submission, five via knockout.
There was also much talk of his power ahead of his fight with Volkanovski, and that talk was justified. Previously, Topuria showed his submission threat by tapping out grappling specialist Bryce Mitchell in 2022, before he outclassed Josh Emmett in every area of the game for a decision win in 2023. Many fans felt Topuria would be set for a dominant reign, but the announcement of a first title defence against Holloway has changed a few opinions...
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
9. Merab Dvalishvili (18-4, bantamweight champion)
The Georgian entered our rankings after winning the bantamweight strap from Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September.
That result marked an 11th straight win for Dvalishvili, who cruised to a decision victory over “Sugar Sean” with relentless pressure and superior grappling.
The 33-year-old’s detractors will point to his lack of finishes, and that point is a fair one (the “Machine” has just one stoppage in his current win streak), but his accomplishments are more important.
Prior to beating O’Malley, Dvalishvili won three straight fights against former champions: Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo – and none of them came close to defeating him,
UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list
10. Max Holloway (26-7, featherweight)
Re-entered our rankings after his stunning stoppage of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 – one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history. After a previous, failed endeavour at lightweight in 2019, the featherweight icon returned to 155lb and beat up Gaethje for five rounds.
Then, with 10 seconds left on the clock, the Hawaiian called on Gaethje to trade hands in the centre of the cage, risking the victory. What happened? Holloway faceplanted Gaethje with one second left, claiming the ‘Baddest Motherf***er’ belt.
And at 145lb, save for a trio of decision losses to Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway has been phenomenal for years, previously reigning as champion and recording wins over a who’s-who of featherweights. He has a chance to regain the featherweight belt against our No 8 in October...
Alex Pereira vows to keep defending UFC title despite speculation over weight change
“I will actually choose to defend my belt. For me to go to a lower weight class would take some time and would need some more preparation, for me to go to a higher weight class it also takes more preparation so right now the way that it is at light heavyweight is perfect,” Pereira revealed at the UFC 307 media day.
“Well, I was only thinking about training because Jones expressed that his next fight might be his last fight so I want to go over there and learn a little bit from him. I’m a guy that has an open mind and I think it would be great.”
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