UFC 307
Review
The most important moments from the event in Salt Lake City.
Chama Poatan!
Great fight in the main event
On Saturday night, 36-year-old Brazilian Alex "Poatan" Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight title for the third time this year by knocking out Khalil Rountree Jr. in the fourth round, moving him to a 9-1 record in the Octagon in just under three years.
This fight was different from his previous two victories, where he defeated former champions Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka relatively quickly. This time, he had to withstand the speed and power of the left-hander Rountree Jr., who won the first two rounds on all scorecards.
Despite heavy blows and a short knockdown, the champion remained calm, continued to press forward, and gradually inflicted more and more damage on Rountree Jr. By the end of round 3, Poatan had tasted blood, attacking his opponent with sharp combinations. In round 4, the moment finally arrived: Poatan stood against Rountree Jr.'s cage and landed two powerful body blows, knocking the challenger to the ground.
In the end, it was too much for Rountree Jr., Pereira took his fourth light heavyweight title victory in the last 12 months and thus moved to the top of the “Fighter of the Year” race.
While many were excited for his arrival at UFC 268, no one could have predicted Pereira would accomplish all this in the past three years. He's main evented six of his last seven fights, earned five wins at light heavyweight after quickly rising to the top of the middleweight ranks, and has become arguably the biggest star in the sport by talking little and letting his accomplishments speak for themselves.
And New!
New women's bantamweight champion
Julianna Peña won her second title by narrowly defeating Raquel Pennington on points. Although Pennington was strong in the final rounds, the early stages of the fight decided the outcome. In the end, it was a split-decision victory for the "Venezuelan Vixen," which we believe was well-deserved.
Mario Bautista also scored a split-decision victory, narrowly defeating legendary Jose Aldo. Kevin Holland was forced to withdraw from Roman Dolidze due to injury.
Kayla Harrison fought against Ketlen Vieira and suffered significant damage for the first time in her career, but was able to dominate her opponent in the first and third rounds to secure the victory.
All in all, a fantastic event full of great performances in Salt Lake City. Bonuses went to the main event, Joaquin Buckley, and Ryan Spann.
What happens next?
With this performance, Poatan once again demonstrated that he truly is someone for the GOAT debate. The Brazilian likely has one more contract fight at light heavyweight, which he will likely contest against the winner of Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alexander Rakic, who will fight at UFC 308.
In the women's bantamweight division, Kayla Harrison could soon challenge for the title unless Amanda Nunes comes out of retirement to challenge Peña for the third time.