UFC 307 live blog: Pereira retains title in 'Kick Lake City'

05 Oct 2024, 19:46 by KSL.com Sports · KSL.com

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — UFC is back in downtown Salt Lake, and UFC 307 is the biggest match yet in the Utah capitol with two title fights, a local hero and a packed Delta Center.

In the main event, Alex Pereira (11-2, fighting out of Bethel, Connecticut) will defend his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-5, fighting out of Las Vegas), while Raquel Pennington (16-8, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colorado) defends her women's bantamweight title against Julianna Pena (10-5, fighting out of Spokane, Washington) in the co-main event.

Court McGee (21-13), the 39-year-old Ogden native who grew up in Layton and fights out of Orem, will make his return to a UFC card in his home state when he faces Tim Means (33-16-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico) in a preliminary bout.

Here's a look at every fight, including how to watch each one on television or streaming:

Early prelims on ESPN+ (3 rounds)

Carla Esparza (19-7) vs. Tecia Pennington (13-7)
Ovince St. Preux (27-17) vs. Ryan Spann (21-10)
Tim Means (33-16-1 vs. Court McGee (21-13)

Prelims on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (3 rounds)

Ihor Potieria (216) vs. Cesar Almeida (5-1)
Alexander Hernandez (14-8) vs. Austin Hubbard (16-7)
Marina Rodriguez (17-4-2) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (16-5)
Stephen Thompson (17-7-1) vs. Joaquin Buckley (19-6)

Main card on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View (3 rounds)

Women's bantamweight: Kayla Harrison (171) vs. Ketlen Vieira (14-3)
Middleweight: Roman Dolidze (13-3) vs. Kevin Holland (26-11)
Bantamweight: Jose Aldo (32-8) vs. Mario Bautista (14-2)

Co-main event on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View (5 rounds)

Women's bantamweight title bout: Raquel Pennington (16-8) vs. Julianna Pena (10-5)

Main event on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View (5 rounds)

Light heavyweight title bout: Alex Pereira (11-2) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-5)

Saturday, 11:18 pm

Pereira retains title in 'Kick Lake City'

In the UFC's newfound "Kick Lake City," Alex Pereira only needed his jabs.

And a lot of them.

Pereira pummeled challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. in the fourth round, defending his light heavyweight title for a third time with a series of uppercuts to win his title defense by TKO at UFC 307 at the Delta Center.

"I can tell you this is one of the toughest fights," Pereira said from the octagon. "I expected that. I watched a lot of Khalil's fights … and he showed tonight that he has so much quality in him."

After arguably the best intro in the contemporary UFC, Pereira tried to open with a flying kick. But Rountree stepped aside, grabbed a floating ankle, and largely kept much of the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Brazilian and his extra three inches of length at bay through the first round.

Pereira, again, over-extended himself in the second round, and Rountree connected his right paw under Poatan's chin.

The 6-foot-1 fighter out of Las Vegas went for a critical strike in the final seconds of the round, though his kick to the head only nicked Pereira as the bout continued.

Pereira connected with a left high kick in the third round, then finished the third round with a flying knee and a handful of jabs that left Rountree's face bloody.

Pereira got stronger and stronger with each passing moment, until eventually the Brazilian backed Rountree against several corners of the cage.

Midway through the fourth round, Rountree was tapped, his face a swollen, bloody mess.

Main event

Light heavyweight title: Alex Pereira (13-2) d. Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-6), TKO

Saturday, 10:35 pm

Pena stuns Pennington to recapture women's bantamweight title in co-main event

A match more than a decade in the making came down to the narrowest of margins — and landed the Venezuelan Vixen back on top.

Julianna Pena held off a flurry of late swings to recapture the UFC women's bantamweight title by split decision over Raquel Pennington 47-48, 48-47, 48-47 at the Delta Center.

With the win, Pena reunites with the belt she won with a win by submission over Amanda Nunes in December 2021, before Nunes reclaimed the title eight months later at UFC 277.

It's the first loss for Pennington (16-9, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colorado) since January 2020, snapping a six-match winning streak.

Pennington kept ahead of the first round, utilizing a variety of quick strikes and high blows while staying on her feet.

But Pena found an opening in the second round, grappling the defending champ to the mat and securing a number of body blows before the horn sounded.

Pena secured another takedown with just over two minutes left in the third, and attempted to go for the submission with a head lock and body squeeze before Pennington broke the former and survived to the fourth round.

But Pennington secured a takedown of her own, dropping Pena with a right hook with about two minutes remaining in a strong fourth round.

The defending champ used the momentum in the fifth round, backing up Pena into the cage while attempting to land a finishing blow.

But the blow never came, and Pena held on to become the new UFC women's bantamweight champion.

"I was pressuring her the entire time in the fifth," Pennington said from the octagon. "But I'm the one who let it go to the judges. Back to the drawing board.

"Congratulations to Julianna."

Co-main event

Women's bantamweight title: Julianna Pena (11-5) d. Raquel Pennington (16-9), split decision.

Saturday, 09:45 pm

Bautista's controversial decision sets up co-main event

Kayla Harrison continued her rampant ascent up the UFC women's bantamweight rankings, Roman Dolidze forced Kevin Holland out early, and Mario Bautista took a controversial split-decision win over a UFC legend to open the main card of UFC 307 at the Delta Center.

Harrison (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida) ran her MMA record to 18-1 and followed up her submission of Holly Holm at UFC 300 with a victory by unanimous decision over Ketlen Vieira to open the main card.

Dolidze (13-3, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada) pummeled Holland in the first round, forcing him to the mat before jumping on top and never letting up.

The damage was so severe that the two had to be pulled off each other at the buzzer. After several rounds of back-and-forth, Holland couldn't continue with a rib injury, and Dolidze was declared the winner — much to the chagrin of a sold-out crowd that largely booed his victory celebration.

Battered and bloodied from a cut near his eye in the first round, Bautista held off Jose Aldo via controversial split decision 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.

The 31-year-old who fights out of Glendale, Arizona, took a nasty hook to the face early but rallied to pull ahead by the narrowest of margins on the judges' scorecards for his seventh consecutive win.

It's the first loss for Aldo (32-9, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) since his last visit to Utah, a unanimous decision setback to Merab Dvalishvili in August 2022.

Main card

Women's bantamweight: Kayla Harrison (18-1) d. Ketlen Vieira (14-4), unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Middleweight: Roman Dolidze (14-3) d. Kevin Holland (26-12), TKO (injury)
Bantamweight: Mario Bautista (15-2) d. Jose Aldo (32-9), 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.

Saturday, 08:08 pm

Why Alexander Hernandez 'really digs' Salt Lake after lightweight win

Each of the winners had nothing but good things to say about Utah, which is hosting a UFC Pay-Per-View card for the third consecutive year.

Most of the reasons were obvious — it's good to win.

But Alexander Hernandez had some more colorful, emotional language to describe his appreciation for Salt Lake City after his split decision win over Austin Hubbard 27-30, 29-28, 29-28.

"I'm about to take home a Book of Mormon. It's been a cool week," said Hernandez, who fights out of San Antonio, Texas. "I really dig it. It's been a fun time out here."

The 32-year-old nicknamed "The Great Ape" also shared how he "caught a body" earlier Saturday, when he and his training camp heard gunshots while walking back to their team hotel.

"I just copped an avocado toast, walking back to the hotel, and we turned a corner and heard five shots rattled off," he said.

"These guys came panting, running past us … and it turns out, that was the guy with the gun."

Hernandez could only laugh about it by Saturday night as he described the moment in language that was too colorful to print.

"Outside of that, everyone's really friendly," Hernandez said with a laugh. "It was a really cool experience the whole week … and I would do it again."

Iasmin Lucindo established herself as a strawweight contender, holding off Marina Rodriguez by split decision.

Lucindo (17-5, fighting out of Feira de Santana, Brazil) won her fourth consecutive fight, and will likely move into the top 10 in her division after signing with UFC just two years ago after making her pro fighting debut at 14 years old.

"I try not to choose fights," Lucindo said. "I didn't choose Marina. … But whatever the boss says and whomever he puts in front of me, I'm going to fight."

Preliminary bouts

Cesar Almeida (6-1) d. Ihor Potieria (21-7), unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Alexander Hernandez d. Austin Hubbard, split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Iasmin Lucindo (17-5) d. Marina Rodriguez, split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Joaquin Buckley d. Stephen Thompson, KO, Round 3 (2:17)

Saturday, 06:31 pm

'Superman' uses first-round guillotine for submission win

Prior to his UFC 307 fight, Ryan Spann noted his main focus was to stay "focused and in the present" as he hoped to take down Ovince St. Preux.

His presence in Octagon was remarkably short.

Spann (22-10, fighting out of Beaumont, Texas) made quick work of St. Preux with a guillotine choke just 1 minute, 35 seconds into the first round of his win by submission.

But he enjoyed every minute of it, finding a fan as he exited the cage, pulling off his cowboy hat and taking a selfie before making his way to the media room underneath the arena.

If Spann was in a good mood, he deserved it. The 33-year-old light heavyweight had lost three in a row — each during Fight Night appearances the past two years, including a first-round submission by triangle choke to Nikita Krylov in March 2023.

Saturday's win was Spann's first since Nov. 2022, when he finished off Dominick Reyes by TKO with a power job at UFC 281.

Saturday, 05:42 pm

Tecia Pennington hands Carla Esparza decision loss in retirement match

Carla Esparza nearly pulled off a sendoff victory for the ages in her final UFC match before her retirement from mixed martial arts.

The 36-year-old fighter out of Redondo Beach, California, was already set to retire following her UFC 3007 strawweight match against Tecia Pennington.

But Pennington pulled away during Esparza's three-round finale, going the distance en route to a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) at the Delta Center.

"It's been an amazing journey, these last 15 years," said Esparza, who retires as a two-time world champion. "I've fought the best of the best. It's not always easy, there are ups and downs in this sport. But I wouldn't have done it any other way.

"This is the greatest sport in the world."

Carla Esparza nearly pulled off a sendoff victory for the ages in her final UFC match before her retirement from mixed martial arts.

The 36-year-old fighter out of Redondo Beach, California, was already set to retire following her UFC 3007 strawweight match against Tecia Pennington.

But Pennington pulled away during Esparza's three-round finale, going the distance en route to a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) at Delta Center.

Saturday, 04:55 pm

Court McGee locks down first-round submission on home court

The Delta Center is home to the Utah Jazz on most nights during the NBA season.

But Saturday night, home-court advantage belonged to Court McGee.

The Ogden native who fights out of Orem opened UFC 307 with a first-round submission victory over Tim Means, snapping a three-bout losing skid with thunderous applause in front of a strongly partial home crowd.

McGee, the 39-year-old bruiser who improved his record to 22-13 all-time, caught Means against the cage early and wrestled him to the mat.

After a moment of snaking his way toward Means' head, the fighter nicknamed "Crusher" for his bruising style slipped in a neck crank with 3:19 remaining that forced Means to tap out early.

Saturday, 01:37 pm

Remembering 'Head Kick City'

Here's a remind of some of the UFC's best moments from previous fights in Salt Lake City: