Alex Pereira Returns To Headline UFC 307 With Khalil Rountree Jr.

The headlining bout comes a little more than three months since Pereira’s last fight at UFC 303 where he knocked out Jiří Procházka in a short-notice affair. The win marked Pereira’s second of the year, having headlined UFC 300 where he scored a knockout win over Jamahal Hill. Those performances pushed “Poatan” to superstar status as well as to the top of most people’s Fight of the Year list. Although the 37-year-old has teased a move up to heavyweight in pursuit of a third UFC title, he has an intriguing test in his sights.

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Rountree Jr., an 8-year UFC veteran, is in the form of his life. The 34-year-old most recently knocked out Anthony Smith in December 2023, tallying his third Performance Bonus in four fights. A mindful and experienced fighter, Rountree Jr. appears to have everything in place to make himself a serious contender in the 205-pound division. He was slated to make a potential jump into the title picture when he signed up to fight Jamahal Hill at UFC 303, but a suspension erased that opportunity. 

Pereira vs Rountree! #UFC307 from the @deltacenter, Utah on October 5th!@StateofSport pic.twitter.com/EJJcjJgUMf

— danawhite (@danawhite) August 16, 2024

It seems to have worked out for the Las Vegas-based fighter as he now gets a shot at UFC gold against one of the stars of 2024 in what should be an exciting striking battle. The two have 18 knockout wins between them, and Pereira has only gone to the scorecards twice in nine Octagon appearances.

The fight marks UFC’s third trip to Salt Lake City in three years following Leon Edwards’ legendary knockout win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, as well as Justin Gaethje’s BMF title-winning knockout of Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. Pereira, who made his light heavyweight debut at UFC 291, now hopes to add to those highlights with his third KO of 2024 while Rountree Jr. is keen on making a breakthrough years in the making.

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The women’s bantamweight title will be on the line for the first time since Pennington captured the vacant throne with her decision win over Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297. It was a career-making moment for the veteran “Rocky,” and her first defense comes against someone who has long lived in her sights. Peña, who hasn’t fought since losing her rematch and title to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 in Dallas, has waited patiently for a chance to regain her title. 

White also announced a pair of exciting fights pairing a legend of the game facing a hungry up-and-comer. First, former featherweight king José Aldo faces rising bantamweight Mario Bautista at 135 pounds. Aldo makes his second appearance of 2024 after returning to the Octagon for the first time since 2022 when he outdueled Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. Bautista also makes his second appearance of the year as he looks to extend his seventh win in a row and was most recently seen taking a decision win over Ricky Simón.

In the featherweight division, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will take on undefeated Movsar Evloev. "Funk Master" picked up his first win at 145 pounds in April, when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. Evloev sits at a perfect 18-0 record with impressive victories over Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes and Dan Ige. The winner of this matchup will certainly be calling for a shot at the winner UFC 308's main event in Abu Dhabi.

Kayla Harrison will also make her return to the Octagon in a high-stakes bantamweight clash against Ketlen Vieira. No. 3 ranked Harrison made an instant impact in her UFC debut, defeating the legend Holly Holm with a stunning second-round submission. Vieira's won three of her last four, with her only loss coming to bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington. The winner could be next for whoever comes out on top in UFC 307's co-main event later that night.

The all-action Kevin Holland is also set to make his return in Salt Lake City against Roman Dolidze. "Trailblazer" is fresh off a first-round armbar finish over Michał Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302 in June in his return to the middleweight division. Later that month, Dolidze got back in the win column with an impressive 15 minute display against Anthony Smith.

Finally, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is set to make his first walk of 2024 as he takes on the fast-rising Joaquin Buckley in what should be a thrilling striking battle. Thompson was last seen at UFC 296 where Shavkat Rakhmonov submitted him in the second round. The 41-year-old Thompson remains one of the most difficult puzzles to solve, particularly on the feet, so it should be fascinating to see how “New Mansa” approaches the task. The 30-year-old out of St. Louis is a perfect 4-0 since moving down to welterweight in May 2023. He has already picked up a pair of wins in 2024 over Vicente Luque and Nursulton Ruziboev, and a win over Thompson could be the name he needs to start knocking on the door of the top-5.

Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates regarding events.