Alex Pereira is going to get one more title fight in before the end of the year.
The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion has been matched against eighth-ranked contender Khalil Rountree Jr. for the main event of a pay-per-view card on October 5th, per Dana White.
Light heavyweight’s newest title fight is expected to headline UFC 307 from the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
The booking keeps Pereira on an incredibly active schedule, placing him into a fourth championship appearance within a year’s time. After capturing the vacant belt with a second-round stoppage win against Jiri Prochazka last November, “Poatan” has returned with two quick performances this year.
Pereira appeared in the main event of UFC 300 in April, putting away former champ Jamahal Hill in the first round. He then received a quick two-month turnaround to fight at UFC 303, beating Prochazka in a rematch.
A victory in October would make Pereira the first light heavyweight champ to defend their title three times or more since Jon Jones’ final reign with the belt from 2018 to 2020.
UFC is dipping somewhat low in the official light heavyweight rankings for the upcoming matchup, bypassing second-place contender Magomed Ankalaev in favor of a striker-versus-striker pairing. It’s unclear why the Russian contender who hasn’t lost since 2018 wasn’t booked for the title appearance.
Rountree Jr. has put together five consecutive wins since 2021, including numerous highlight-reel finish wins. He most recently overcame former title challenger Anthony Smith in late 2023, putting together a combination of punches for a third-round finish.
The 34-year-old contender was expected to face Hill, a recent opponent of Pereira, in June at UFC 303. However, after receiving a two-month suspension from Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) for an accidental violation of the program, he wasn’t able to appear in the booking.
Hill, the would-be opponent for Rountree Jr. earlier this year, expressed discontent with the UFC 307 booking on Friday. “This is terrible for the sport and makes the rankings completely pointless,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Bantamweight Champion Pennington To Meet Fellow Vet Pena
Raquel Pennington is expected to defend her UFC Bantamweight Championship earlier in the evening in Salt Lake City, taking on former titleholder Julianna Pena.
Pennington received a long-awaited bantamweight title opportunity in early 2024, fighting five rounds to overcome Mayra Bueno Silva on scorecards. The win extended Pennington’s streak to six consecutive victories and made her the first bantamweight champion following the retirement of Amanda Nunes in 2023.
The upcoming fight gives Pena a chance to regain the title she briefly held just a few years back.
Pena secured a massive upset win in late 2021, catching Nunes in the second round with a rear naked choke to end her lengthy reign in the division. Pena’s run on top of the division came to a sudden end just a year later when the duo rematched, with Nunes putting together a one-sided decision victory at UFC 277.
Despite never crossing paths in the UFC cage, Pennington and Pena have a similar history. They both joined the promotion in 2013 through Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as the UFC was hoping to further build their bantamweight division.
UFC 307 now has 10 bouts announced for it. Here’s an updated look at the PPV card:
Bout 10: Alex Pereira (11-2) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-5) (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 9: Raquel Pennington (16-8) vs. Julianna Pena (10-5) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 8: Movsar Evloev (18-0) vs. Aljamain Sterling (24-4) (Featherweight)
Bout 7: Jose Aldo (32-8) vs. Mario Bautista (14-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Kayla Harrison (17-1) vs. Ketlen Vieira (14-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Marina Rodriguez (17-4-2) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (16-5) (Strawweight)
Bout 4: Ihor Potieria (21-6) vs. Cesar Almeida (5-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 3: Carla Esparza (19-7) vs. Tecia Pennington (13-7) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Roman Dolidze (13-3) vs. Kevin Holland (26-11) (Middleweight)
Bout 1: Stephen Thompson (17-7-1) vs. Joaquin Buckley (19-6) (Welterweight)
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