The UFC is making a habit of having two championship fights on these pay-per-view cards. After a spectacular event just a few weeks ago, the octagon will return to Salt Lake City for UFC 307, with two more champions putting their straps on the line.
The UFC’s latest boogeyman is leaving a trail of opponents in his wake en route to this main event against his latest challenger. Plus, the recently crowned women’s bantamweight champion will defend her throne against a former champ and a UFC legend will take on a fast-rising bantamweight contender.
Bantamweight bout: Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
There are few fighters in the history of the sport with careers as accomplished at Jose Aldo. The former bantamweight champion has taken out some of the best we’ve ever seen in the octagon, to the tune of a 32-8 record with 17 knockouts. Even at 38 years old, he is still one of the most feared strikers in the world and is coming off of a win in his most recent outing back in May. In fact, his lone loss since 2020 came against the new bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. He hasn’t lost a step and he’s clearly still one of the best in the class.
On the other side of the octagon, Mario Bautista will be looking for that signature win. The 31-year-old sports a 14-2 record with six submissions and is riding a six-fight winning streak. This will easily be his most high profile fight and therefore a huge opportunity. The key for Bautista is going to be to get this fight to the ground because, while his striking is solid, there is n way he’s going to want to stand and trade with Aldo.
My pick: Aldo via decision
Women’s Bantamweight Championship bout: Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena
Raquel Pennington will be stepping into the octagon for the first time since capturing the Women’s Bantamweight crown back in January and will look to retain her title. The champ looked dominant in that title fight against Mayra Bueno Silva, utilizing her superior striking skills to control the fight. The win brought her record to 16-8 and her winning streak to six fights. Pennington has some of the best hands in the class and will likely look to make this a striking match.
Meanwhile, a former champion will be looking to reclaim the throne as Julianna Pena returns for the first time since losing the title to Amanda Nunes in 2022. Pena sports an 11-5 record with five submissions and is one of the strongest grapplers out there. She shocked the world when she upset Nunes to take the title in 2021 and now she is looking to get back on top. This is a classic style matchup and it will be very interesting to see which fighter can dictate the pace of this fight and where it takes place.
My pick: Pennington via decision
Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree
Chuck Liddell. Rampage Jackson. Anderson Silva. Francis Ngannou. These are just some of the most feared knockout artists in the history of the UFC. Alex Pereira has added his name to that list. The light heavyweight king continues to blast his way through the division, one challenger at a time. The next one to step up will be Khalil Rountree.
Rountree has also proven to be an incredible dangerous striker. The challenger steps into this bout with a 13-5 record and nine knockouts. He’s also riding a five-fight winning streak with four of those wins coming by knockout, his most recent coming against perennial contender Anthony Smith. Rountree is a long, dynamic striker who brings a lot of weapons to the table. Look for the challenger to try to keep his distance and stick and move his way to victory. That would give him his best chance.
On the other hand, not much needs to be said about the champion. Pereira’s power is different. Ask Jiri Prochazka, who we’ve seen in slugfests in the past and figured to be able to withstand Pereira’s striking game. Twice now, Prochazka has been knocked out by the champion. Picking Pereira fights essentially boils down to one thing at this point: can his opponent be knocked out? Like, is it a physical possibility? Rountree has been knocked out twice in his career. Enough said.
My pick: Pereira via 1st round knockout
UFC 307 will be held Saturday, October 5 at 10 PM ET. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $79.99.