UFC 306 has come and gone. People have stopped talking about Dricus Du Plessis’s successful first middleweight title defense against Israel Adesanya. They’ve also stopped chatting about Dan Hooker coming back after a year away from the Octagon to win by split decision over Mateusz Gamrot in the lightweight division.
Now fans’ thoughts are turning to upcoming UFC events and the mouthwatering battles they can look forward to. Of special note is UFC 307, which takes place on Saturday, October 6, in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Delta Center. Both the men’s light heavyweight title and the women’s bantamweight championship will be on the line. This article looks at both matchups and other exciting fights lined up this year.
Alex “Poatan” Pereira will step into the Octagon to defend his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr and a record of 11 wins and two losses. The Brazilian has already been middleweight champion, a title he won at UFC 281 from familiar foe Israel Adesanya and later lost to his old adversary at 287 before moving up to light heavyweight. Pereira will enter the ring confidently, having defeated the former light heavyweight champ Jiří Prochazka by knockout at UFC 303 in July 2024.
Pereira’s opponent may be the underdog at +350 on the MMA betting moneyline, but “Poatan” will have to be on top form. “The War Horse” Rountree Jr, from Los Angeles, California, boasts a record of 14 wins and five losses. He’s won his last five fights, and ten of his wins have been by knockout.
In the women’s bantamweight division, freestyle fighter Raquel Pennington will be defending her title against Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Julianna Peña. The champ holds a record of 16 wins and nine losses and is no stranger to going the distance. Only one win has come by knockout, and four by submission. Peña will have to ensure her cardio fitness is at its very finest because the champ seems likely to drag her into the championship rounds.
Peña will step into the ring with a record of 12 wins and five losses, including the sting of a loss from her last fight, back in July 2022, a rematch against Amanda Nunes, who she defeated in December 2021 and rocked the UFC. Pennington will have to be on her guard, as three of Peña’s finishes have come by knockout and six by submission. Pennington may take comfort from the fact that the “Venezuelan Vixen” hasn’t fought in the UFC since that defeat by Nunes and comes into the Octagon a little rusty.
Buckley, however, has stats of his own that will make Wonderboy wary. The freestyle fighter from St Louis, Missouri, holds a record of 19 wins and six losses. A terrifying 13 wins have come by knockout, including one by a head kick and another by a spinning back kick. Four of his finishes have come in the first round, and he has an average fight time of 10:13. His takedown defense is slightly better than Thompson’s (69% vs 66%), but his own preference for the standup game could see Thompson, a Brazilian jiu jitsu brown belt, shoot for takedowns and explore holes in the Missouri man’s ground game.
Judoka and Olympian made her UFC debut in April 2024 at UFC 301, where she defeated Holly Holm in the second round by submission with a rear naked choke. She holds a mixed martials record of 17 wins and one loss. Six wins have come by knockout and seven by submission, and nine finishes have occurred in the first round.
Her opponent, Ketlen “Fenomeno” Vieira enters the Octagon with an MMA record of 14 wins and three losses, and has won three of her last five fights, including wins over Holly Holm and “Cupcake” Miesha Tate. The judoka has a strong takedown defense, at 93% and an average fight time of 15:39, which could be an advantage as the fight goes on, compared to Harrison’s average time of 6:47.
The UFC is bringing what are sure to be some riveting matchups to the Octagon for fans. Other interesting clashes to watch out for include José Aldo vs Mario Bautista, in the men’s bantamweight division at UFC 307; Max Holloway vs Ilia Topurov in a men’s featherweight title clash at UFC 308; and Robert Whittaker taking on Khamzat Chimaev in a men’s middleweight bout at UFC 308.