Alex Pereira and the Actual Winners and Losers from UFC 307

It is a massive week in Salt Lake Metropolis.

Utah’s capital metropolis is just some days from formally coming into the NHL with a relocated staff previously generally known as the Arizona Coyotes, however within the meantime, the Delta Middle bought its capability crowd ft moist with one other in a sequence of visits from the MMA conglomerate.

Dana White and Co. touched down within the “Beehive State” for a fourth time general and a 3rd time in a pay-per-view setting with a 12-bout present on Saturday night time topped by a five-fight portion that features two championship matches and is being billed as UFC 307.

Mild heavyweight king Alex Pereira and girls’s bantamweight title holder Raquel Pennington walked to the cage with jewel-encrusted belts in these two highlight bouts, with the previous assembly No. 8 contender Khalil Rountree Jr. and the latter squaring off with top-ranked contender and former champion Julianna Peña.

Pereira was on the invoice for the promotion’s final go to to the venue — UFC 291 in July 2023 — and made his 205-pound debut with a split-decision win over Jan Błachowicz. He was 8-1 in 9 octagonal fights and held titles at middleweight and lightweight heavyweight, successful his final three by KO in a mixed 7 minutes and 35 seconds.

The B/R fight staff was in place to take all of it in and ship a real-time record of the present’s most definitive winners and losers. Check out what we got here up with and drop a thought or two of your personal within the feedback part.

Alex Pereira had received his final three fights in lower than eight mixed minutes.

So Khalil Rountree Jr. exceeded expectations just by reaching the championship rounds in his bid for the sunshine heavyweight champion’s throne and pound-for-pound standing.

However man, oh man, did he pay for it.

The eighth-ranked challenger made it to the fourth spherical earlier than lastly succumbing to the heavily-favored champion, and he wore the proof of his resilience on a face with gashes on the bridge of the nostril and the precise cheek along with a jagged minimize on the precise eyelid that sprayed the cage-side announce desk with blood every time Pereira landed a blow.

It lastly ended at 4:32 of the fourth when Rountree, already reeling from punishment and fatigue, was wobbled by a tough proper hand, drilled by a fast left-right mixture to the physique, and eventually pushed to the ground with an uppercut that prompted an intervention from referee Marc Goddard.

“I can say that this was one of many hardest fights. I anticipated that,” Pereira mentioned. “He confirmed tonight why he is bought a lot high quality.”

Rountree received the primary two rounds on all three scorecards because of a frenetic fashion that noticed him bobbing, weaving and leaping in with photographs that often clipped the champion and made him uncomfortable if not broken. Pereira rallied within the third because the punishment on Rountree constructed up and he scored a major shot with a tough knee within the remaining minute.

The win was his ninth in 10 UFC fights and made him simply the seventh champion within the promotion’s historical past to efficiently defend a title thrice in a calendar yr.

And now, who is aware of?

Pereira has urged a return to middleweight was doable however mentioned he’d step apart whereas coaching associate Sean Strickland secures a subsequent title shot at 185. A transfer to heavyweight can also be urged on occasion, however he wasn’t particularly aiming at that both.

“I can transfer as much as heavyweight,” he mentioned, “however this division is nice.”

The dominoes have been arrange. The combat posters have been all however printed.

However simply as second-time champion Julianna Pena had the prospect to tug the set off on an on the spot rivalry with Kayla Harrison to start her second reign, she pivoted again to an outdated quarry.

Pena emerged with a slender and questionable cut up choice over Raquel Pennington to regain the bantamweight title she’d misplaced in her final octagonal look greater than two years in the past, then jumped within the callout time machine to counsel Amanda Nunes return to make it a trilogy.

The “Venezuelan Vixen” received the title for the primary time with a stunning end of Nunes at UFC 269 in late 2021, then misplaced it again to the “Lioness” of their UFC 277 rematch in 2022. Nunes fought once more in 2023 and retired quickly after, creating the title emptiness Pennington had crammed in January.

Harrison was on the display screen ready for Pena to substantiate she’d be subsequent in line for a shot, and the two-time Olympic judo champ mimicked a operating movement along with her fingers as Pena spoke, implying that the brand new champion was anxious to flee the thought of assembly her.

“I would like Nunes to give up ducking and are available again so we are able to settle it,” Pena mentioned. “We’re 1-1. I don’t consider she’s staying retired.”

Pennington, in the meantime, urged she deserved the choice and the B/R card agreed, giving her rounds one, 4 and 5 for a 48-47 verdict. Choose Derek Cleary’s card was the identical, however was overruled by Sal D’Amato and Mike Bell, every of whom gave Pena the primary three rounds earlier than awarding Pennington the fourth and fifth.

“I felt like I received that combat,” she mentioned. “This has been a well-recognized place for me. It was my fault letting it go to the judges.”

It wasn’t a spectacular victory, however Roman Dolidze did not care.

The rugged Georgian had his hand raised after a single spherical towards Kevin Holland when the American pulled out with an obvious rib damage, however it did not cease him from embracing the heel position as he reacted to an sad pro-Holland crowd in Utah.

Dolidze lifted his fingers to his ears to ask for extra quantity from the disapproving followers and appeared out towards the plenty as he drew every of his thumbs throughout his throat to sign his (not less than within the document books) aggressive superiority over Holland.

The damage occurred on the mat, the place Dolidze had saved Holland for the second half of the opening spherical after a takedown simply after the two-minute mark. Holland was profitable in limiting injury whereas in full guard, however a subsequent spin prompted what analyst Joe Rogan mentioned was a damaged rib.

Holland was punished on the bottom for the remainder of the spherical and the combat led to between rounds when his lead nook man indicated give up.

“I do not need out,” Holland mentioned, “however f-k.”

Dolidze is 8-3 within the UFC and has received two straight.

“I believe I am on the high of the division,” he mentioned.

There’s an actual good probability Kayla Harrison turns into a UFC champion.

However it will not be as simple a march by way of the bantamweight division as probably the most hyperbolic of her legions of supporters might need thought earlier than Saturday.

Oh positive, the two-time Olympic judo champ and once-beaten (in 19 fights) MMA fighter took one other step towards UFC gold with a grinding choice over second-ranked contender Ketlen Vieira, however there have been simply sufficient moments of adversity to make it appear barely much less inevitable.

Harrison was not less than stiffened, if not wobbled, by a pair of onerous elbows from Vieira within the second spherical – and expressed some concern in her nook as her cutman labored on the blood and vital swelling on her brow attributable to the strikes.

She bought Vieira again to the bottom within the third and was deserving of the 2 30-27 and one 29-28 scorecards in her favor, however she conceded afterward, not less than briefly, that it wasn’t simple.

“She’s a killer. She’s No. 2 for a motive,” Harrison mentioned. “I got here right here to problem myself. That is the primary time I’ve ever bled within a cage, so I give it up for her.”

It was Harrison’s second straight win since arriving from the rival PFL promotion, and, as soon as she allotted with plaudits for Vieira, she bought again to her menacing self when calling for a title shot.

“Girls,” she mentioned, “take pleasure in it whilst you can as a result of the queen is residence and she or he’s coming for that f—ing gold.”

It had already been a bizarre judging night time, with a pair of cut up choices and an iffy unanimous choice that might have simply as simply gone within the favor of its loser.

So it was no shock Joaquin Buckley needed no a part of Bruce Buffer studying scorecards.

The muscular southpaw could or not have been two rounds down heading to the ultimate 5 minutes towards ninth-ranked welterweight Stephen Thompson, however it did not matter when he saved pursuing, saved swinging, and ultimately caught “Wonderboy” with the looping proper hand that dropped him to his knees and prompted a rescue from referee Mike Beltran at 2:17.

It was his fifth straight win at 170 kilos since a drop down from middleweight and all however ensures a one (or extra) spot leap into the highest 10 from his earlier slot at No. 11.

“We have been locking out all of the noise and the distractions and simply going to work,” mentioned Buckley, who’d gone 5-4 in his early run with the promotion from 2020 to 2022.

He’d been repeatedly tagged from distance by the sniper-like Thompson, who was additionally in a position to keep away from extended stays on the mat after every of Buckley’s 4 takedowns.

Buckley stepped up the assault within the third, nonetheless, and had Thompson in a retreating posture up till the decisive shot, which lifted Buckley to 10-4 as a professional and prompted a callout of former welterweight king Kamaru Usman.

“We’re going for that throne,” he mentioned. “Yet another earlier than I combat for the belt.”

She’s simply 22 years outdated and the youngest girl on the UFC roster.

However simply because Iasmin Lucindo is youthful doesn’t suggest she’s inexperienced.

The Brazilian strawweight turned professional as a fresh-faced 15-year-old in 2017 and has been virtually fully profitable from the phrase go, successful 16 of her first 21 bouts – and three of 4 within the UFC – earlier than climbing in with revered veteran Marina Rodriguez on Saturday.

And now, after quarter-hour with the promotion’s sixth-ranked contender, you possibly can go forward and name Lucindo a legit title contender, too.

Tabbed as a pre-fight favourite regardless of her deficits in age and elite-level opposition, the youthful fighter by no means appeared misplaced whereas sustaining aggression and dominating from in shut on the way in which to a cut up however truthful choice within the penultimate preliminary match.

One decide gave Rodriguez two of three rounds however was overruled by the opposite two scorecards, every of which gave Lucindo a 29-28 benefit and matched the B/R tally.

Rodriguez landed 65 whole strikes to Lucindo’s 55, however was taken down thrice in 4 tries and managed for practically 5 minutes whereas dodging Lucindo’s intermittent strive at a heel-hook end. It is her second straight loss and dropped her to 7-5-2 within the UFC.

Being a Ryan Spann fan is an train in stopping and beginning.

The Texas-based 33-year-old was a fast winner over ex-title challenger Dominick Reyes at UFC 281 two years in the past and appeared prepared for a climb towards the highest of the sunshine heavyweight division, however adopted the massive win with three straight losses – together with two finishes.

So when he climbed in for a date with revered 41-year-old veteran Ovince Saint Preux in Saturday’s early prelim finale, it was tough to know what to anticipate.

Properly, if it is as much as Spann, it will be rather a lot simpler to foretell going ahead.

The 6’5″ slugger despatched his rival stumbling to the fence with a tough proper hand and instantly adopted by locking in a left-arm guillotine choke and spinning to the mat to lock it in and immediate a faucet from Saint Preux after solely 95 seconds.

“I needed to come back in right here and be free,” Spann mentioned, “and I needed to indicate the world my work.”

It bumped him to 8-5 within the UFC and 22-10 as a professional and was the ultimate combat on an present contract for Saint Preux, who dropped to 27-18 and 15-13.

“We’re gonna get again to work and we’re gonna preserve going,” Spann mentioned.

Carla Esparza could be the least-celebrated two-time UFC title-holder in historical past.

Definitely among the many OGs of the strawweight division and its champion as just lately as two years in the past, the 36-year-old from California mentioned goodbye earlier than a still-cavernous constructing with an iffy unanimous choice loss to Tecia Pennington within the night time’s second bout.

Two judges gave Pennington two of three rounds and a 3rd gave her all three.

The B/R card noticed it the opposite means, giving Esparza the primary and third rounds for a 29-28 rating.

Inactive within the cage since dropping her 115-pound belt for the second time towards Zhang Weili at UFC 281 in 2022, Esparza gave delivery to a son, Donovan, earlier than returning for her swan tune look towards Pennington, whom she’d overwhelmed on The Final Fighter in 2014.

The little boy was within the viewers for the combat and got here into the cage – decked out in a “Cookie Monster” costume to honor his mother’s nickname – to climb into her arms within the aftermath.

Esparza introduced earlier than Saturday’s present that it might be her remaining combat and she or he exits with a 20-8 general professional document and a 10-6 mark within the UFC since successful the strawweight belt for the primary time in her 2014 octagonal debut.

“You’ll be able to’t go away it to the judges,” she mentioned. “I believed I received it.

“It has been a tremendous journey these final 15 years. I would not have executed it some other means.”

Typically, the early prelims are all about rising prospects.

However this time round in Salt Lake Metropolis, they seem to be a showcase for grizzled veterans.

The age vary for the six fighters throughout the night time’s first three bouts stretches from 33 to 41 years outdated and the sextet arrived with a mixed 66 wins in 120 UFC bouts.

Utah native Court docket McGee made the early arriving followers notably blissful when he ended a three-fight skid and picked up his first submission win since UFC 121 in 2010, cranking the neck of 40-year-old welterweight foe Tim Means till he tapped at 3:19 of the primary spherical.

He’d misplaced six of eight and eight of 11 to fall to 10-12 with the promotion, however appeared rejuvenated this time following surgical procedure to right a continual neck concern.

“There are not any phrases to clarify the gratitude I’ve for my household and my coaches,” an emotional McGee mentioned, shouting his dad and mom out on their forty fifth marriage ceremony anniversary. “I needed to start out the cardboard out on the precise foot and it appears like we did it, child.”

Most important Card

Alex Pereira def. Khalil Rountree Jr. by TKO (punches), 4:32, Spherical 4

Julianna Peña def. Raquel Pennington by cut up choice (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)

Mario Bautista def. José Aldo by cut up choice (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland by TKO (damage), 5:00, Spherical 1

Kayla Harrison def. Ketlen Vieira by unanimous choice (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

Joaquin Buckley def. Stephen Thompson by KO (punch), 2:17, Spherical 3

Iasmin Lucindo def. Marina Rodriguez by cut up choice (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Alexander Hernandez def. Austin Hubbard by cut up choice (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)

Cesar Almeida def. Ihor Potieria by unanimous choice (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Early Preliminary Card

Ryan Spann def. Ovince Saint Preux by submission (guillotine choke), 1:35, Spherical 1

Tecia Pennington def. Carla Esparza by unanimous choice (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Court docket McGee def. Tim Means by submission (rear-naked choke), 3:19, Spherical 1