UFC 307 results, highlights: Alex Pereira batters Khalil Rountree to retain light heavyweight gold, secure Fighter of the Year

Daniel Yanofsky

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UFC 307 results, highlights: Alex Pereira batters Khalil Rountree to retain light heavyweight gold, secure Fighter of the Year image

Many expected that the high elevation of Utah would affect hard-hitting strikers Alex Pereria and Khalil Rountree Jr. Instead, UFC 307 saw a battle between two warriors going punch for punch.

In the end, Pereira landed a flurry of shots that put Rountree to the floor to retain the UFC light heavyweight title. With three wins in 2024, Pereira may have secured his status as Fighter of the Year.

Rountree brought it to Pereira early on, the eighth-ranked light heavyweight landing crisp shots to the face of "Poatan." The first few rounds appeared to be his. Fatigue may have gotten the best of Rountree, out for a year following a suspension, as he slowed down as the fight went on. However, he had a second wind, forcing Pereira to trade more shots than expected.

The fight went to the fourth, not on everyone's bingo card when the fight was announced. As the fight continued, Pereira compromised Rountree's leg with stiff shots. By round four, Pereira was locked in on Rountree's busted eye. He landed jabs and then a massive knee that was the beginning of the end. Pereira hit multiple uppercuts to Rountree's chin, elbows that rocked him, and additional knees.

MORE: Carla Esparza recieves her flowers for exciting retirement fight

A battered Rountree had no choice but to fall to the floor after a knee and a body shot. "The War Horse" had his five-fight win streak end. Pereira won his fifth straight. He could go back to middleweight or up to heavyweight next but may remain at light heavyweight. His next potential opponent is Magomed Ankalaev, who is ranked second in the division.

It was expected to go at least two rounds. It was a weird fight to go with an interesting and exciting night for fighters and the judges.

Julianna Pena is back on top after beating Raquel Pennington in a close split decision contest for the UFC bantamweight title.

Pena used her ground game to drop Pennington at various points. Pennington barely used leg kicks to halt Pena in her tracks. However, Pennington, who trains at high altitudes, looked like the fresher fighter, especially in the later rounds. She dropped Pena in round four, and it appeared round five would be hers for the taking.

Pena, who took two years off following a loss against Amanda Nunes, landed crisp shots in the last round. Pennington did the same, with many media members scoring it in favor of Pennington. Pena won and is now a two-time champion.

"The Venezuelan Vixen" called out Nunes, who retired in 2023, to complete their trilogy (1-1). Kayla Harrison, who we will get to later, laughed backstage as she believes Pena is ducking her after talking trash at the pre-fight press conference.

The crowd booed Mario Bautista before he entered the ring to face the legendary Jose Aldo. They did the same when Bautista beat Aldo via split decision. In a close contest, Bautista relied on his wrestling, which Aldo used his 91% takedown defense mark to perfection against, blocking seven+ takedowns. 

Aldo landed sharp strikes while Bautista followed suit. The fight was split between media members. Aldo's last three opponents are 0 for 28 on takedown attempts against him. Bautista has won seven straight, while Aldo is 2-2 in his previous four fights. 

MORE: Top 10 women's fights in MMA history

Roman Dolidze and Kevin Holland started to look like an entertaining affair. Then, before the second round could begin, the fight was called off. That was a result of Holland having a broken rib. Holland tried to continue, but his team did not allow their fighter to do so, and the referee called the fight off. 

Dolidze, ranked tenth at middleweight, has now won two straight. Holland is now 1-3 in his last four fights. 

The bantamweight division may have already found its next contender. Kayla Harrison started the main card with a big win against second-ranked bantamweight Ketlen Vieira. Harrison used her wrestling to take Vieira down, landing vicious elbows to punish Vieira. 

Vieira found some holes in Harrison's game, striking on the feet, and forced her to bleed for the first time via elbows. However, Harrison persevered and dominated the latter half of all three rounds. 

The two-time Olympic gold medalist, now on a three-fight win streak and 2-0 in the octagon, sent a warning to the rest of the division, including the co-main event fighters: The uncrowned queen is coming.

"Ladies, enjoy it while you can. Because the queen is home, and she's coming for that f------ gold," Harrison said.

The Sporting News provided results, analysis, and highlights from UFC 307! 

UFC 307 results, highlights

Alex Pereira batters Khalil Rountree Jr. to retain gold

Round four: Pereira started with jabs and low leg kicks right away. Rountree tried landing powerful blows. A low leg kick landed by Pereira, and another. Big jab to the body and face of Rountree. Rountree's right eye is beat up. Jabs connected to connect. Combinations hurt Rountree. Huge right hand by Pereira followed by a knee. He aimed for the eye. Uppercut, and another. Rountree backed up. Two elbows backed Rountree again. Big right, and another, and Rountree is battered. Rountree connected. Pereira with an uppercut. Knee by Pereira. Knee and combinations landed. Body shot and a head shot dropped Rountree. It's all over! 

Round three: Big right by Pereira. Rountree forced Pereira to back up. Back shot by Rountree. High kick missed but he appeared looser. High kick by Pereira and a jab connected. Rountree started to faint. They exchanged shots, with Pereira landing the better of the two. Low kick by Pereira. And another. Body shot by Rountree, who has his leg compromised. Jab by Pereira. High kick by Rountree, with Pereira doing the same. Jabs by Pereira and a knee to the face. Jabs connected more frequently. Knee to the head of Rountree. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Pereira (29-28 Rountree)

Round two: Rountree looked tired early already. He still pressed forward. Pereira with a leg kick, then a high kick. Right hook by Rountree. Small right counter by Pereira. He landed a left hook. A leg kick connected. Jab by Pereira landed, and Rountree was breathing heavily. Calf kick by Pereira followed by a jab. He landed more jabs but Rountree connected with a big shot after a high kick attempt. Pereira pressed forward. Rountree with combinations. Right hand by Pereira. High kick by Rountree connected.  

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Rountree (20-18) 

Round one: Rountree landed a left early. Pereira with a leg kick. A shot by Rountree connected. Kick by Pereira. Rountree with a left hand. Leg kick to the head by Pereira. Right hand by Pereira. Leg kick. Rountree tried to go for the knockout shot early. High kick and then a low one connected. Pereira focused more on kicks. Big right by Rountree landed, and another. He landed a left. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Rountree 

Alex Pereira defends the UFC light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. next. Pereira looks for his third successful defense of 2024, while Rountree, ranked eighth and coming off a suspension, looks to shock the world

Julianna Pena regains UFC bantamweight title in close contest against Raquel Pennington

Round five: Pennington moved Pena back with jabs. Big shot connected by Pennington. Right hand from Pena connected. Pena with a right. Pennington with jabs. She pushed Pena by the cage. Pena with a right. A shot to the body by Pennington. Uppercut and a shot that stung Pena. Left hook by Pennington. Jabs pushed Pena back. Big hook by Pennington. Big shot by Pennington. Pena with a right that finally connected. Jab by Pennington. Massive left by Pennington. Pena won via split decision in a somewhat controversial scoring decision.

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Pennington (48-47 Pennington)

Round four: High kick landed by Pennington. Pena landed shot. Calf kick by Pennington. Kick by Pennington and an uppercut from Pena. Calk kick by Pennington and both exchanged shots. Jab by Pena and Pennington. Body shot by Pennington. Big face shot by Pennington followed by a body shot. Big right dropped Pena. Pennington engaged on the ground. Pena got up though. Pennington's nose was bleeding but landed crisp shots. They exchanged around the cage. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Pennington (38-38)

Round three: They traded shots in the middle, with Pena landing crisp jabs. Pena with a few more damaging strikes. Pennington with a counter left hook. Pennington with more head shots. High kick by Pennington as Pena went for a strike. Pena with combinations. Uppercut by Pena, who took Pennington down and poured down shots on her face. Pena moved around the body and went on her back, landing shots to the face. She landed the rear-naked choke, but Pennington got out of it. Pennington tried fighting Pena on the floor.

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Pena (29-28 Pena) 

Round two: Jab by Pennington connected. Pena landed one of her own. A left hook by Pennington forced Pena back. A right hand by Pena connected. Pennington with a front kick. Clinch engaged by Pennington. Pena dropped Pennington. Pennington has a bump by her eye. Pena provided pressure to the body on the floor, but not much offense outside of kicks. Back up, Pena got on her back. Pennington tried punching her off. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Pena (19-19)

Round one: Pena went for jabs right away, landing a few. She landed a left hook and then a jab. Pennington with a big left hand that pushed Pena back. A nice jab by Pennington connected. Pena with a right as Pennington countered with jabs. Pennington's jabs connected again. A big shot by Pennington connected. Combinations by Pena. Uppercut by Pennington. By the fence, Pennington landed with a jab, while Pena landed a few shots of her own. Leg kick by Pennington. Inside shot by Pena while Pennington landed a leg kick.

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Pennington

The UFC bantamweight title is on the line, as Raquel Pennington faces former champion and former friend from The Ultimate Fighter, Julianna Pena. 

Mario Bautista wins close contest against legend Jose Aldo

The Sporting News had it 29-28 Aldo, but the judges scored it a split decision win for Bautista. 

11:28 p.m. ET: The Sporting News has it tied 19-19 heading into round three. Bautista played it close to the vest, landing jabs. Aldo countered with shots of his own, aiming for his busted eye. Another takedown attempt blocked by Aldo. Bautista with shoulder strikes once again. The referee forces the two to engage, but Bautista put him by the cage again. In the middle, Aldo landed crisp shots while Bautista moved back. He put Aldo by the cage again. 

11:22 p.m. ET: A jab by Aldo cut Bautista early in round two. He landed more vicious shots. Aldo landed a knee, and avoided another takedown while landed big shots. Using big boxing, Aldo landed jabs while using defense to fatigue Bautista. Another takedown attempt is blocked, and Aldo was held by the cage. Bautista with shoulder strikes. Aldo got out of it and landed a massive right. Bautista with a few jabs. Aldo blocked another takedown. More combinations landed by Aldo. 

11:16 pm. ET: Bautista backed Aldo up at first with strikes to start round one. Aldo landed leg kicks to counter. Bautista held Aldo by the cage, but didn't land anything of value. He tried landing leg kicks, while Aldo showcased his takedown defense mark (91%). Back in the center of the octagon, Aldo landed a low kick and a right. Bautista with a big right hand of his own. Another takedown attempt, shooting on the inside. Aldo landed combinations. Switching stances, Bautista landed a few clean shots. Combinations by Aldo landed. 

UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo faces Mario Bautista next. 

Kevin Holland breaks rib, Roman Dolidze earns the win

11 p.m. ET: Holland appeared to have a broken rib. He didn't want to give up, but his team and the referee called the fight off, a smart move. 

10:58 p.m. ET: Holland opened things up with leg kicks. Dolidze was tentative to start. They exchange shots, with Holland landing the better punches. Dolidze took Holland down but didn't quite engage.   

Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland is up next. 

Kayla Harrison gets tested, beats Ketlen Vieira to become a top contender at bantamweight

Harrison won via unanimous decision. Vieira showed some holes in her game, especially on the feet, but Harrison made up for it on the ground. 

10:40 p.m. ET: Vieira with a shot to the face but tripped. Harrison pushed her toward the cage. Vieira continued to land solid blows. Leg kick by Vieira. Punch to the chest, pushing Harrison back. Leg kick by Harrison. Takedown attempt was blocked, but Harrison finally got it after another attempt. Harrison with elbows on top. She finally found an edge with elbows. On top of Vieira, Harrison tried for a submission. 

10:33 p.m. ET: Round two saw both exchange shots. Vieira tripped. Leg kick by Harrison, who went for punches as well. She landed a combination. They exchanged shots, with Vieira landing a nice shot to the face. By the cage, Vieira with a big elbow. Harrison with an elbow of her own. Harrison has a bump and cut above her eye. Vieira with a kick, Harrison followed.

10:25 p.m. ET: Vieira with kicks to start as Harrison went for strikes. They circle around the octagon as Vieira plays it safe, to a degree. Harrison looks for a few takedowns, as Vieira blocked an attempt. By the cage, Harrison landed strong kicks, while Vieira attempted to land punches. Vieira got out of it, forcing the fight to go to the middle. Harrison with a body kick. She landed a punch and then got a takedown. Harrison then landed elbows to the head. 

10:15 p.m. ET: Kayla Harrison opens the main card. The two-time Olympic gold medalist faces Ketlen Vieira, a top fighter at bantamweight. If the fight could match what they said at the pre-fight press conference, we could be in for a show. A win, and Harrison might get that title shot.  

10:10 p.m. ET: The PPV main card has started! 

10 p.m. ET: Joaquin Buckley with another highlight reel knockout against Stephen Thompson. Buckley has won five straight while Thompson is 1-4 in his last five fights. 

9:30 p.m. ET: Iasmin Lucindo defeated Marina Rodriguez via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)

9 p.m. ET: Hernandez and Hubbaed competed in a heated contest that could win some performance bonuses. Hernandez won via split decision. 

8:30 p.m. ET: Alexander Hernandez and former Ultimate Fighter competitor Austin Hubbard faced off next. 

8:20 p.m. ET: Cesar Almeida and Ihor Potieria faced off. Almeida managed to poke Potieria in the eyes four times and landed a shot below the belt, but was not deducted a point by referee Dave Sejestad. He ended up winning via unanimous decision. 

8 p.m. ET: The prelims have started. 

7:45 p.m. ET: Ryan Spann defeated Ovince Saint Preux via guillotine choke, taking the submission specialist out with ease. 

7:27 p.m. ET: It was a close fight, and the judges scored the fight in favor of Pennington, much to the crowd's dismay. Esparza, a former two-time champion, went out fighting. UFC showed a highlight reel of Carla Esparza's career as it comes to an end. Very classy and it's great to see the UFC recently doing this.

7:05 p.m. ET: Carla Esparza competed in the last fight of her career against Tecia Pennington. 

6:45 p.m. ET: Opening the show, Court McGee defeated Tim Means via face crank (3:19 into round one), possibly the best finish of his career. 

Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of UFC 307! 

UFC 307 results

Main Card

  • Alex Pereira (c) def. Khalil Rountree Jr. via TKO for the UFC light heavyweight title (4:32 into round four)
  • Julianna Pena def. Raquel Pennington (c) via split decision for the UFC bantamweight title (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
  • Mario Bautista def. Jose Aldo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland via injury/TKO (end of the first round)
  • Kayla Harrison def. Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) 

Prelims

  • Joaquin Buckley def. Stephen Thompson via KO (2:17 into round three)
  • Iasmin Lucindo def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)
  • Alexander Hernandez def. Austin Hubbard via split decision (27–30, 29–28, 29–28)
  • Cesar Almeida def. Ihor Potieria via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Early Prelims

  • Ryan Spann def. Ovince Saint Preux via guillotine choke (1:35 into round one)
  • Tecia Pennington def. Carla Esparza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Court McGee def. Tim Means via face crank (3:19 into round one)

Daniel Yanofsky

Daniel Yanofsky Photo

Daniel Yanofsky is the Combat Sports Editor for The Sporting News since late 2021. Prior to working for TSN, Daniel provided insight on combat sports for Fightful, FIGHT SPORTS, and Wrestling Inc. A proud Ithaca College alum, when he isn’t working on his golf game, Daniel is advocating for three-minute rounds in women's boxing.

You can follow him on Twitter via @DanYanofsky.