UFC 307 heads to the Delta Center at Salt Lake City this weekend featuring an action-packed card, headlined by Alex Pereira taking on Khalil Rountree Jr for the Light Heavyweight title in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The two-title match card's co-main event will also see Raquel Pennington facing Julianna Pena for the Women's Bantamweight belt, while in the Men's Bantamweight, we have Jose Aldo going toe-to-toe with Mario Bautista.
Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr preview
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Alex Pereira has proven to be the epitome of a fighting champion, as he now prepares to put his belt on the line in a UFC pay-per-view event for the third time in 11 months since claiming the vacant title with a second-round victory over Jiri Prochazka at Madison Square Garden last year.
"Poatan's" light heavyweight title defences came against former champion Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 before he once again stopped Prochazka in his tracks at UFC 303, taking his current winning streak to four in a row in the process.
Pereira is 11-2 in the UFC, but there is perhaps an argument to be made that he has not faced a few fighters that are more deserving of a title shot than Rountree, with Magomed Ankalaev coming to mind, especially considering that Russian is scheduled to fight just three weeks after UFC 307.
Still, even at 37 years old, the Brazilian mixed martial artist is widely regarded as one of the most feared finishers in the UFC, known for his devastating striking, combined with remarkable speed and precision, while he also possesses the ability to change the trajectory of a match with a single blow.
While there is no doubting Pereira's work ethic and willingness to step up whenever Dana White needs someone to plug a hole on an upcoming pay-per-view, there is a lingering concern around whether the champ is stretching himself a little thin - something that Rountree will undoubtedly be thinking as well.
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To emphasise how questionable granting Rountree a title shot over Ankalaev is, consider this: Rountree's last three losses in the UFC came against Marcin Prachnio, Ion Cutelaba and Johnny Walker - all of whom Ankalaev has already defeated during his 12-fight unbeaten streak.
Nevertheless, regardless of how we arrived at this point, and even if the American appears to be a much less threatening opponent on paper, he still does bring his own unique set of assets to the table that could cause problems for the reigning champion.
Rountree arrives in Salt Lake City riding a five-fight winning streak, with four of those victories coming by way of finishes, each one proving more devastating and emphatic than the last.
In his last match, the 34-year-old dominated and finished Anthony Smith in the third round, rocking "Lionheart" with a sharp left hand that saw him crumble to the canvas before holding back on the follow-up blow after realising the job had been done.
As far as the most notable stat goes, Pereira has secured KO/TKO finishes in nine of his 11 UFC wins, including his last three fights, while Rountree has ended 10 of his 14 UFC victories before the final bell by knockout.
Tale of the tape
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Alex Pereira
AGE: 37
NICKNAME: "Poatan"
HEIGHT: 6ft 4ins
REACH: 79ins
STANCE: Orthodox
TRAINER: Vinicius Reviravolta, Glover Teixeira, Plinio Cruz
FIGHTS: 13
WINS: 11
DRAWS: 0
DEFEATS: 2
LAST FIGHT: KO/TKO vs. Jiri Prochazka (June 2024)
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Khalil Rountree Jr
AGE: 34
NICKNAME: "The War Horse"
HEIGHT: 6ft 1ins
REACH: 76ins
STANCE: Southpaw
TRAINER: John Wood
FIGHTS: 20
WINS: 14
DRAWS: 0
DEFEATS: 5
LAST FIGHT: KO/TKO vs. Anthony Smith (October 2024)
Career records
Alex Pereira
Rank: Champion
Total: 13
Wins: 11
By knockout: 9
By submission: 0
By decision: 2
Losses: 2
By knockout: 1
By submission: 1
By decision: 0
Khalil Rountree
Rank: #8
Total: 20
Wins: 14
By knockout: 9
By submission: 0
By decision: 4
Losses: 5
By knockout: 2
By submission: 1
By decision: 2
No Contest: 1
We say: Alex Pereira to win
While Rountree has been in excellent form in the build-up to this main event, Pereira is probably the most intimidating figure in the sport right now, and we feel it will only be a matter of time until he puts the American to sleep.
Devesh Jaganath
