UFC

UFC 307 Main Card Recap: Winners, Losers, Best Moments

Oct 5, 2024, 11:19 PM

UFC in Salt Lake City, Utah Alex Pereira...

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Alex Pereira of Brazil fights during a light heavyweight championship bout during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY – The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Delta Center with a stacked UFC 307 card on Saturday.

From all-time greats to debatably the best fighter in the world, the UFC brought some of its best to Utah.

From the early fights to the main event, there were nonstop fireworks in downtown Salt Lake.

UFC 307 At Delta Center Recap: All Main Card Fights

Ketlen Vieira vs. Kayla Harrison – Women’s Bantamweight

The early prelim and prelim fights already had the Delta Center on its feet. But it only got louder as the main event kicked off.

Both Vieira and Harrison were fighting for a little something extra. Harrison looked to avoid adding another blemish to her 17-1 record. Vieira was on the receiving end of a lot of trash talk at the press conference and opted then to let her game do the talking.

And that it did.

Vieira was the first to draw blood and held the total strike advantage through the first two rounds.

With all of that said, Harrison was the overwhelming favorite for a reason. She doubled the amount of Vieira’s significant strikes and had two takedowns compared to zero from the Brazilian.

All three judges agreed that Harrison was the victor with two giving her a 30-27 advantage.

Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland – Middleweight

Another two fighters who were at each others necks long before Saturday were up next.

Holland was the pre-fight favorite but Dolidze had something to say about that.

In the first round, the Georgia native had more strikes, significant strikes, and takedowns. To end the opening round, Dolidze had Holland pinned and he let off a barrage of punches and elbows.

As the horn sounded and Holland got up, he immediately winced and grabbed at his side.

Much to the dismay of the Delta Center crowd, the fight was called after the first round with Holland unable to continue with an injury.

José Aldo vs. Mario Bautista – Bantamweight

Bautista was slightly favored in this bout but you can’t ever count out one of the sports’ greatest to ever do it.

However, Aldo has looked a step slower in recent years, specifically since he moved down to the bantamweight division from featherweight. That trend looked to continue in the first round as Bautista had more significant and total strikes.

The second round looked much different.

A strike early in the round caused Bautista to bleed heavily around his right eye. As the round continued, it felt like Aldo couldn’t miss a punch. He landed over 50 percent of his attempts and had more significant strikes.

In the third and final round, Bautista went for takedown after takedown. Salt Lake City reigned boos down on the octagon to make it clear they wanted an upright fight.

It was anyone’s best guess as to would be the judges decision. All three scorecards had a 29-28 advantage. Bautista got the nod as the pick of two judges.

Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña – Women’s Bantamweight Title Bout

Pennington and Peña took center stage for the first fight of the night with some hardware on the line.

As the current belt-holder, Pennington was the pre-fight favorite. Peña also entered the bout having not fought in over two years.

This fight promised to a bloody one with both fighters boasting a resilient, defensive-minded style. And it didn’t disappoint.

In the first round, Peña had a very slight upper hand with just three more landed significant strikes.

She built on that momentum early in the second with the first takedown of the fight. The next two minutes were spent on the mat. Once Pennington finally got out, Peña stayed in control by mounting her back.

Peña drew first blood early in the third round. A quick counter off of a Pennington attempt left the champ with a dripping nose. As the halfway point of the bout passed, Peña secured another takedown.

She nearly forced a submission with less than a minute left in the round but Pennington was able to escape and prolong the fight for the belt. Through three rounds, it felt like the champ had some major ground to make up.

Pennington clearly felt that way as well as she opened the fourth round swinging. It started with a powerful head kick that sent Peña stumbling backward.

With two minutes left in the round, Pennington put Peña on the mat with a devastating right hook. The challenger took a few more punches on the ground before getting back to her feet.

The final round was as tight as any but Pennington still looked to have the advantage. The question was if the early rounds were enough for Peña to steal the belt.

That ended up being the exact case. Two judges gave her the edge to crown her the division champ via split decision.

Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. – Light Heavyweight Title Bout

Finally, after a night filled with excitement and anticipation, the main event arrived.

Pereira and Rountree Jr. are two of the most aggressive and unrelenting fighters in all of the UFC. The fight was almost guaranteed to be a war.

Pereira came out of the gates hot. Similar to Conor McGregor’s notorious flying knee knockout on Aldo, the champ opted for a jumping kick in the opening seconds. Pereira ended the opening round with a three-strike advantage.

Rountree Jr. answered well in the second. He put the champ on his heels with a hook midway through the round and landed a left-foot head-kick before the horn sounded.

The head kick is a signature move of Pereira’s and he let Rountree know by landing one of his own early in the third round. As the halfway point of the fight passed, Pereira started to pull away.

Pereira has plenty of experience in five-round fights. Rountree not as much. With two rounds left, the champ had landed 17 more significant strikes and his opponent was in unfamiliar territory.

The fourth round was a death sentence for Rountree. With every passing minute, he became more bloody and more tired.

As the round began winding down, Pereira kept the pressure on and eventually, Rountree fell to the mat. Not from a knockout but from the never-ending attack put on by the champ.

Alex “Poatan” Pereira came into SLC as a champ and he left as a champ.

Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.

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UFC 307 Main Card Recap: Winners, Losers, Best Moments