Athletes
Fighters on the Rise | UFC 307
Shouting Out Three Ascending Talents Looking To Shine Further In Salt Lake City This Weekend
Over the next couple years, Delta Center is going to play host to the emergence of young talents in both the NBA and NHL as the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club look to continue building on the foundations that are already in place and progress towards the playoffs and ultimately championship heights in their respective leagues.
This weekend, three UFC athletes with similar ambitions, but a little further along in that process, will make the walk to the Octagon.
One can leave as a champion. The next has the opportunity to defeat a legend and move another step forward in the deepest, most competitive division in the sport. And the third can become the undisputed No. 1 contender before watching to see who they will be facing for gold next time out.
Order UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr.
UFC 307 promises to be a pivotal night of action on Saturday, and these three athletes should be front and center, which is why they’re getting the spotlight treatment here.
Khalil Rountree Jr.
Khalil Rountree Jr. "I've Been Preparing For This" | UFC 307
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Khalil Rountree Jr. "I've Been Preparing For This" | UFC 307
/
A lot of people were caught off guard when the UFC announced that it would be Rountree Jr. facing Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title this weekend in Salt Lake City, but perhaps they shouldn’t have been.
It’s not just that the former Ultimate Fighter finalist tossed the idea of the all-violence battle out there following his most recent victory, but also that Rountree has rattled off five straight victories, the most of any contender in the division, and that last victory came against former title challenger and divisional mainstay Anthony Smith. Furthermore, the visual from the end of that fight is everything you could for when crafting a sizzle reel for a talented contender, as Rountree put Smith on skates before marching forward, thunderous left hand aloft, ready to deal the finishing blow that was not needed as “Lionheart” fell to the ground and recoiled into a defensive position.
There are going to be those that say the challenger is unworthy; that a guy who started his UFC with a 4-5 record with one no contest through 10 starts shouldn’t be fighting for championship gold. The counter is that Rountree is yet another example of how it takes time for athletes to find their footing and become the best versions of themselves, and after reaching the biggest stage in the sport with just four professional appearances under his belt, the now 34-year-old Las Vegan is putting everything together and turned into the menacing presence he was long forecasted to become.
Pereira is an intimidating presence and has been a force since getting his divisional debut out of the way in Salt Lake City last summer, claiming the vacant title and successfully defending it twice in devastating fashion. He’s posted an incredible 8-1 record in his first three years on the roster, winning titles in two weight classes and posting six finishes, and rightfully enters as a massive favorite.
But Rountree has explosive materials in his hands, as well, and has been fighting with the confidence of someone that truly believes in their ability to navigate dangerous waters and still emerge victorious. This is going to be a kickboxing battle from the jump, and the challenger will be more than willing to wade into the fire in an effort to land a fight-changing blow.
How To Watch UFC 307 In Your Country
Should that happen, Salt Lake City might have to be renamed “Upset City,” at least when the UFC rolls into town.
Mario Bautista
Mario Bautista Beats Lopez With A Triangle Armbar Submission | UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Lemos
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Mario Bautista Beats Lopez With A Triangle Armbar Submission | UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Lemos
/
Bautista touches down in Utah riding a six-fight winning streak and slated to square off with UFC Hall of Fame inductee Jose Aldo in what is a massive opportunity for the 31-year-old MMA Lab representative.
In a division flush with talent and constantly in the spotlight, Bautista is the soft-spoken standout off in the corner, content to do his work in the shadows, knowing that each win brings him closer to the end goal of challenging for UFC gold. Brandishing an 8-1 record since dropping his short-notice debut to Cory Sandhagen five-plus years ago, Bautista has been taking the “slow and steady” approach to climbing the divisional ladder over the last three years.
Following his loss to Trevin Jones at UFC 259, which becomes more and more of an outlier with each passing appearance, Bautista has deftly dispatched Jay Perrin, Brian Kelleher, Benito Lopez, Guido Cannetti, Da’Mon Blackshear, and Ricky Simon to climb to No. 11 in the rankings, one spot behind the man he faces this weekend. Like so many of the athletes that have come up through the MMA Lab program, Bautista is a fundamentally sound fighter who is good everywhere and favors substance over style, which is part of why his emergence has been so incremental and under the radar.
Get Ready For UFC 307 With Our Fight By Fight Preview!
That has the potential to change this weekend as he squares off with Aldo, who ended a brief retirement with a vintage showing against Jonathan Martinez in May at UFC 301, waltzing into the Octagon for the first time in more than 18 months to upend the “Dragon” and halt his six-fight winning streak.
Though Aldo may not be a contender at the moment, he’s still Jose freakin’ Aldo and a win over a man with his reputation would invariably catapult Bautista up the ranks and into a position where matchups with the upper echelon of the division are inevitable.
Kayla Harrison
If Rountree Jr. is the unexpected challenger and Bautista is the quiet dark horse of his division, Harrison stands as the dominant force on the horizon that feels like Thanos believed himself to be… inevitable.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist and PFL tournament champion stormed into the Octagon for the first time at UFC 300, looking shredded and imposing as she rag-dolled former champ Holly Holm for six minutes and change before forcing her to tap. Her physicality and strength are next level in a division where no one has anything close to the grappling pedigree she brings with her into the cage, and in showing that she could handle the drop down to 135 pounds while still carrying her abundance of athleticism with her into battle, Harrison instantly stamped herself as a big time threat in the division in just one outing.
FREE FIGHTS: Stephen Thompson vs Kevin Holland | Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva | Khalil Rountree Jr. vs Anthony Smith
Now she has the opportunity to punch her ticket to a title shot as she ventures to Salt Lake City for a clash with Ketlen Vieira just a couple of fights before the bantamweight title is up for grabs in the co-main event.
Vieira has hovered as a contender-in-waiting for the last couple years, getting close before suffering a knockout loss to Irene Aldana in 2019, then stumbling again at the start of last year when she dropped a split decision to current champ Raquel Pennington. She rebounded last summer with a dominant win over Pannie Kianzad, and has a significant edge in terms of experience at this level, making her the correct next test for the ascending UFC sophomore.
Few athletes that reach this level ever feel destined to compete for championships, but the 34-year-old is one of the rare exceptions. Nothing is guaranteed when you step into the Octagon, but Harrison came to the UFC to chase gold, and with a championship opportunity one victory away, expect to see nothing short of her absolute best on Saturday night as she looks to cement her place in the next women’s bantamweight title fight.
UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr., took place live from Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 5, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags
