UFC 307: The Underappreciated Event That’s About to Shine
We have had many active UFC champions in the past, the current very active champion in the UFC has to be Alex Pereira. This is Alex’s third fight in the span of six months, Alex also stepped in on two-week notice when Conor McGregor had to pull out of his fight with Micheal Chandler at UFC 303. Alex is set to defend his Light Heavyweight Title at UFC 307 against Khalil Rountree, although many fans are still torn if Khalil is even worthy of a title shot yet.
Alex Pereira is once again on the main event of a UFC event in 2024. Alex has now defended his Light Heavyweight Title at UFC 300, 303 and now looks to defend his title against the heavy-handed Khalil Rountree at UFC 307. Alex Pereira has remained on a tear since he joined the UFC in 2021, his only loss in the UFC is to his long-time rival Israel Adesanya. Pereira is known for his powerful left hook that he has knocked most of his opponents out with, standing up with Pereira is always a threat to a fighter’s game plan, although for Rountree he plans to walk through the fire with Pereira. Khalil Rountree Jr. joined the UFC in 2016 after competing in UFC’s twenty-third season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he made it to the finals. Even though Khalil did not win the season in The Ultimate Fighter, he was still brought on to the Light Heavyweight roster. Khalil had a time getting a winning streak in the promotion going 4-4 in his first eight fights with the company, Rountree determined to evolve, moved to Thailand to train and polish his striking. Since his Thailand training Khalil has gone 6-2 and is currently on a six-fight win streak, unfortunately for Khalil, he hasn’t got wins over any big names other than a washed-up Anthony Smith. Fans aren’t convinced that Khalil has done enough to deserve a title, and Oddsmakers have Alex Pereira coming in as the favorite with -455 to Khalil’s +350. I’m sure many fans think this will be a one-sided fight and it does have the possibility to be, however, we have seen of the wildest upset wins in MMA over the years so Rountree shouldn’t be counted out.
Alex Pereira has been a dominant force since he joined the UFC so at times it’s hard to see anyone being able to dethrone him and, with Khalil Rountree having losses against unranked fighters and not being able to really build a resume against ranked fighters Rountree is going to have a hard time gaining respect from Pereria. I do believe Rountree will try his best to pressure Pereira, he may even have more success than most think he would, however, I believe Pereira’s leg kicks and power will give Khalil problems. If I had to predict a winner for this fight, I would say Alex Pereira by KO.
UFC 307 is sort of a hidden gem, with a lot of great matchups. Yes, Khalil may not deserve a title as most fans think, however, the card is treated with a Women’s Bantamweight Title fight against Raquel Pennington and Juliana Peña, the return of legend Jose Aldo, and the retirement fight of Carla Esparza. UFC 307 is an overlooked card with a lot of potential.
