Alex Pereira had his toughest light heavyweight title fight to date on Saturday evening, going deep into a bout against Khalil Rountree Jr. before finally being able to deliver a devastating boxing finish.
Pereira’s win headlined UFC 307, which took place from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA on Saturday night.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Pereira’s fight against Rountree Jr. started as a competitive battle on the feet, but by the fourth round had turned into a one-sided pummelling. After working a slower pace before heading into the championship rounds, Pereira became noticeably more aggressive by the fourth frame.
Pereira backed Rountree Jr. up with boxing combinations in the fourth round, dipping into range with his own punches and moving back before the shorter Rountree Jr. could answer with counters. His increased output eventually overwhelmed a cut and bloodied Rountree Jr., who found himself shelled up against the cage trying to defend shots.
Pereira landed a series of hooks to the body and head of Rountree Jr. to force a knockdown with 30 seconds to go in the round, causing referee Marc Goddard to stop the bout. The fight was only stopped after Rountree Jr. consumed more than 60 shots in the round alone, proving that it took more than a few flush strikes to end the bout.
Rountree Jr. found success in the opening minutes of the fight, doing enough to take the first and second rounds on all three scorecards. His heavily boxing-focused game plan worked early on, finding a home for his left cross and connecting frequently against Pereira.
Rountree Jr. most notably rocked Pereira in the second round, connecting with a shot after the Brazilian missed with a head kick.
Pereira gained control of the fight in the third round before kicking his aggression up a gear and finding a finish in the fourth round.
Pereira mentioned afterward that Rountree Jr. was one of his hardest tests yet. His three previous title appearances in the weight class never went deeper than the second round and had finishing sequences that came with much less resistance than his win on Saturday.
“I can say that this was one of the toughest fights,” Pereira said through an interpreter in his post-fight interview. “I expected that … He showed tonight why he’s got so much quality in here.”
Pereira has easily been the most active champion on the UFC roster as of late, with Saturday being his third victory in 2024. He previously had quick wins over Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka over the past six months, headlining UFC 300 and the promotion’s “International Fight Week” card.
While interest has swirled surrounding the fantasy booking of a Pereira clash against Jon Jones up at heavyweight, Pereira stated on Saturday that his interest remains in being a fighter 205 pounds. A logical next matchup for him would be second-ranked Magomed Ankalaev, who has gone unbeaten since 2018 and is the highest-ranked fighter who has yet to meet Pereira in the cage.
Rountree Jr. was viewed as a significant underdog in this fight, getting a title opportunity despite sitting eighth in the division’s rankings. The long-time UFC fighter was given his first-ever title shot after an impressive run of five wins since 2021, including a finish last year over Anthony Smith.
Here are the quick results from UFC 307:
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 8:00PM MDT) (PPV)
Bout 12: Alex Pereira def. Khalil Rountree Jr. via TKO, Strikes (RD 4, 4:32) (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 11: Julianna Pena def. Raquel Pennington via Decision, Split (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 10: Mario Bautista def. Jose Aldo via Decision, Split
Bout 9: Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland via TKO, Injury (RD 1, 5:00)
Bout 8: Kayla Harrison def. Ketlen Vieira via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EDT / 6:00PM MDT) (ESPNews / ESPN+)
Bout 7: Joaquin Buckley def. Stephen Thompson via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:17)
Bout 6: Iasmin Lucindo def. Marina Rodriguez via Decision, Split
Bout 5: Alexander Hernandez def. Austin Hubbard via Decision, Split
Bout 4: Cesar Almeida def. Ihor Potieira via Decision, Unanimous
Early Prelims (6:30PM EDT / 4:30PM MDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Ryan Spann def. Ovince St. Preux via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 1:35)
Bout 2: Tecia Pennington def. Carla Esparza via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Court McGee def. Tim Means via Submission, Neck Crank (RD 1, 3:19)
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