UFC 307 Start Time, Full Fight Card Details!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is in Salt Lake City, Utah, TONIGHT (Sat., Oct. 5, 2024) to stage UFC 307 from inside Delta Center, the arena made famous by NBA Hall of Fame legends Karl Malone and John Stockton. Headlining the event will be a Light Heavyweight title fight between division kingpin, Alex Pereira, defending his belt against Khalil Rountree. In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington will attempt to secure her first title defense against former women’s Bantamweight champion, Julianna Pena.

What’s Hot:

Jon Jones may be the undisputed pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet — and don’t you dare tell Dana White otherwise — but Pereira is without a doubt the new face of the promotion (Sorry, Connie). That’s because “Poatan” is as entertaining, lethal and dependable as they come — the poster boy for what a company man is. Since making his debut in early 2021, Pereira has competed a whopping nine times, won the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight titles and has headlined five of the last six pay-per-view (PPV) events he’s been in, including UFC 300 in April 2023, knocking out Jamahal Hill in the first round (recap here). Just a few short months later he knocked out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. Three months removed from that spectacular showing, Pereira is back at it again looking to add to his ever-growing legacy by locking down his third straight defense of his 205-pound strap against a man many were surprised to see get the next shot in Rountree.

They say you always have to shoot your shot because you just never know what can happen. Rountree did just that, calling for a title shot against Pereira after knocking out Anthony Smith in Dec. 2023, a move that caught most by surprise. That’s because Rountree was ranked No. 8 at the time, though he was on a five-fight win streak. Fast forward 10 months later and “War Horse” has gotten his wish, as he will be the next man to attempt to slow “Poatan’s” momentum. In his last five wins, Rountree has stopped four of his opponents via strikes, so he definitely has the power to put Pereira on wobbly knees if he connects. He promised he wouldn’t shoot for a takedown, and if that holds true, then we are in for an all-out striking war that favors “Poatan” because he has the length and has sharper skills when it comes to trading blows. If Rountree isn’t careful, it could be an early night to the showers for him. That said, that is what brought him to this point so don’t expect him to change his style now.

What’s Not:

Buried deep on the undercard is a women’s strawweight fight between former division champion, Carla Esparza, taking on Tecia Pennington. This will be Esparza’s retirement fight, as she has said it’s time to walk away from the sport. It’s crazy to see how the mighty have fallen, but it’s normal in mixed martial arts (MMA). And I am not talking about in terms of skills because “Cookie Monster” is actually 6-1 in her last seven fights, with her loss coming against Zhang Weili in a title fight two years ago (see it here), the last time she competed. I would have liked to see the promotion give her a bit of a better placement on the card for her last fight seeing as how she was the inaugural women’s Strawweight champion. As for Pennington, she is on a two-fight win streak and is out to get back on track the same night her partner, Raquel, is defending her title in the co-main event.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

A Lightweight bout between Nate Landwehr and Austin Hubbard was scheduled for this card before Landwehr withdrew for unknown reasons and ultimately replaced by Alexander Hernandez on short notice. Hernandez is currently in a bit of a funk, having lost four of five and two straight. Another loss will definitely put him on the chopping block.

Injuries:

Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev were set to tango on this card before “Funkmaster” had to withdraw as a result of an injury (details here). The bout was then rescheduled for UFC 310 in December. Chris Curtis was in line to face Kevin Holland before he bowed out of the fight with an injury. Stepping in to take his place is Roman Dolidze, who is coming off a fresh win over Anthony Smith at UFC 303 this past summer, snapping his two-fight losing streak. As for Holland, he also snapped his two-fight skid in the same month by defeating Michal Oleksiejczuk via first round submission (see it again here). This fight will be kicking off UFC 307’s PPV card.

New Blood:

No newcomers slated for this event.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Stephen Thompson wasn’t too thrilled that he was relegated to the “Prelims,” but I actually have no problem with it. He is the main attraction against Joaquin Buckley, and the promotion tries to deliver an exciting fight to lead into the PPV to entice more people to buy. Thompson is sitting at the No. 9 spot, which is generous of voters because he is just 1-3 in his last four outings. He hasn’t won back-to-back fights since 2019-2020, and is coming off a submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296 (see it again here). As for Buckley, the No. 11-ranked fighter in the weight class has gone a quiet tear by winning four straight — two via knockout — and a win over “Wonderboy” could be what gets him into the Top 10 for the first time in his career.

Marina Rodriguez was at one time considered a legitimate potential title contender, but she has really cooled off over the last few years after going just 1-3 since 2022. She is coming off a split decision loss at the hands of Jessica Andrade at UFC 300, so she needs a win over Iasmin Lucindo if she wants to avoid dropping out of the Top 10. After stumbling out of the gates with a loss in her UFC debut, Lucindo has rattled off three straight wins and is looking for the biggest of her career, one that will catapult her into the Top 10 of the division.

In the Middleweight division, Cesar Almeida will look to bounce back from his first-ever defeat when he takes on Ihor Potieria, who is a dreadful 1-3 in his last four fights. That seems to be the pattern in this card, several struggling fighters who are looking for redemption. Speaking of which, both Ryan Spann and Ovince Saint Preux are 2-3 in their last five UFC fights, with “Superman” losing three straight. They will battle on the early “Prelims,” and don’t be too surprised if the loser gets cut.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Court McGee and Tim Means have both seen better days inside the Octagon. McGee is currently riding a three-fight losing streak while Means is 1-4 in his last five fights. It’s a good matchup to start off the card because both men are struggling, but it could also lead to one of them losing their job with another loss. The winner here gets another chance to prove his worth inside the Octagon, while the other may get his walking papers.

Interest Level: 8/10

In the co-main event, Pennington will put her women’s Bantamweight title on the line for the first time against former division champion, Pena. Pennington has really come into her own, winning six straight, including her championship-winning performance against Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297. Despite coming off a loss, Pena was the no-brainer to get the shot since her last fight came against the G.O.A.T of women’s MMA, Amanda Nunes, at UFC 277. That fight, however, was two years ago, so it will be interesting to see how she does after a lengthy layoff. As always, Pena has been talking a good game and, more often than not, she has backed it up. But, she will be coming off a lengthy sit and Pennington is on fire at the moment. This one should be fun and the winner could very well be looking forward to a tough fight against Kayla Harrison next.

Speaking of which, after making an explosive statement in her Octagon debut by disposing of Holly Holm at UFC 300 (see it again here), Harrison is ready to secure her shot at the title if she can get another win when she goes up against Ketlen Vieira, who is currently ranked No. 2, one spot ahead of the Judoka. Vieira is 3-1 in her last four outings and is coming off a win over Pannie Kianzad. While she has more Octagon time than Harrison, she isn’t all that much more experienced in MMA than the two-time Olympic medal winner. The one who comes out victorious will secure her shot at the title. For Harrison, it is her golden opportunity to silence the remaining doubters who feel her accolades aren’t up to par since she was fighting under PFL’s banner for so long.

Some may not realize it, but Jose Aldo is 4-1 in his last five fights dating back to 2020. UFC’s former Featherweight champion recently said he turned down a lot of money to remain under the UFC banner for one last attempt to win gold. Currently ranked No. 10 in the Bantamweight division, Aldo needs at least two or three more wins to get to the big dance again, starting with Mario Bautista, who sits behind him at No. 11 and is riding an six-fight win streak. Has Aldo lost a step or two?

Maybe.

That said, he can still turn someone’s lights off. He only has one submission win in his entire career, while Bautista has six. That tells me that if Bautista wants to pull off the win, his best bet is to take it to the ground. Aldo is a legend of the game and a loss here won’t do much to affect his legacy, though it will end his championship dreams. But, he has looked refreshed as of late so don’t be too surprised if we see a vintage Aldo performance.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC 307 Fight Card:

UFC 307 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:

205 lbs.: UFC Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree

UFC 307 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena
135 lbs.: Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
135 lbs.: Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira
185 lbs.: Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland

UFC 307 Prelims Card on ESPNN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

170 lbs.: Stephen Thompson vs. Joaquin Buckley
115 lbs.: Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo
185 lbs.: Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria
155 lbs.: Alexander Hernandez vs. Austin Hubbard

UFC 307 Early Prelims Card on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):

205 lbs.: Ryan Spann vs. Ovince Saint Preux
115 lbs.: Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
170 lbs.: Tim Means vs. Court McGee

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 307 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 307: “Pereira vs. Rountree” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.