Las Vegas Features Fight Nights Going Down In UFC APEX Between UFC 307 And UFC 308
October features two pay-per-views where no less than three UFC belts will go up for grabs. UFC 307 will see light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defend his title against Khalil Rountree Jr. while women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington tries to thwart former champion Julianna Peña. Three weeks later, Ilia Topuria makes his first title defense in Abu Dhabi at UFC 308 against Max Holloway. Between those two, however, is a pair of Las Vegas-set events with interesting bouts of their own.
On October 12, flyweights Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira lock horns in a crucial matchup. Three new bouts join that card.
First, highlight-prone heavyweights Chris Barnett and Junior Tafa do battle what should be a fun affair. Barnett competes for the first time in more than two years hoping to snag his third UFC knockout win. Meanwhile, Tafa steps into the bout for Waldo Cortés-Acosta fell out of the bout. The Australian is hoping to halt his 2-fight skid. Most recently, he fell to Valter Walker via submission at UFC 305 in Perth.
Experienced featherweights Jonathan Pearce and Pat Sabatini also collide in a matchup of 145ers hoping to break into the rankings in their next couple of fights. Pearce is hoping to stop his 2-fight skid and regain the form that had him on a 5-fight win streak from November 2020 to December 2022. Sabatini is also looking to regain his momentum. After winning his first four fights in the Octagon, Sabataini lost two of his following three, including his most-recent outing where he lost to Diego Lopes via first-round knockout.
Finally, welterweight veterans Daniel Rodriguez and Alex Morono face off in what should be a high-level mixed martial arts contest. “D Rod” got his UFC account off to a 7-1 start before dropping consecutive fights to Neil Magny, Ian Machado Garry and Kelvin Gastelum. Despite that, the 37-year-old remains a skillful striker, which should make for a fun matchup against Morono. “The Great White” has fought some of the most notable names in the division since making his promotional debut in December 2016. He split his two 2024 outings this year, beating Court McGee on the scorecards before Niko Price did the same to him a couple months later.
The next week, middleweights take center stage when the dynamic Michel Pereira gets his first 5-round assignment against fellow main event rookie Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez. Before that clash of styles, strawweights Melissa Martinez and Alice Ardelean will square off. The bout is Martinez’s first since her debut loss to Elise Reed in September 2022. Ardlean also lost her UFC debut when she dropped a split decision result to Shauna Bannon at UFC 304. Both women are keen to snag their first UFC victory.
Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates to fights or events.