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Fight followers have been handled to some wildly stacked playing cards this 12 months, and Saturday’s UFC 307 is one other.
The occasion is headlined by Alex Pereira defending his mild heavyweight title towards Khalil Rountree Jr. That principal occasion matchup between feared strikers is paired with a co-main between ladies’s bantamweight titleholder Raquel Pennington going through former one-time champ Julianna Pena in a grudge match greater than a decade within the making.
UFC 307 has loads extra to supply past the double dose of championship bouts with a number of former world champions — and at the very least one potential future champ — featured on the undercard.
With that in thoughts, right here’s what else to comply with on Saturday, when the UFC returns to Salt Lake City for the third time in as a few years.
HARRISON’S CONFIDENCE (AND POSSIBLY SKILL) IS UNMATCHED
Ketlen Viera is the largest betting underdog coming into UFC 307 for a motive. The motive? She is Kayla Harrison’s opponent.
The former PFL light-weight champion made her UFC debut and her debut in a brand new weight class about as profitable as one may’ve imagined, trying like a pressure of nature in her dominant win over former champion Holly Holm at UFC 300 in April.
Harrison is, with out exaggeration, one of many best athletes the world has seen within the twenty first century, whatever the sport. Most fighters within the UFC don’t compete for a title of their second combat, however in Harrison’s case, it feels a bit of odd that she isn’t. The 33-year-old could be favoured to beat each ladies competing in Saturday’s co-main occasion had she been paired with both of them, and Harrison is aware of this.
“I want to fight for the title. I want to be UFC champion and Julianna has been gifted a title shot, so I’m gonna smash Ketlen’s skull,” the two-time Olympic gold medallist judoka informed reporters Wednesday at UFC 307 media day. “I would happily walk out after I beat Ketlen and fight both of those girls. I think I can beat all three girls in the same night. I believe I’m the best in the world, and when you’re the best in the world, you can’t be stopped.”
As Spencer Kyte not too long ago famous, there are a number of paths the UFC may take with the ladies’s 135-pound division, relying on how the 2 bouts at UFC 307 unfold and whether or not or not former two-division champion Amanda Nunes stays retired. Currently, it appears like all paths will ultimately result in Harrison being favoured to win a title combat.
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CAN ALDO’S RESURGENCE CONTINUE?
Jose Aldo ended his transient MMA retirement earlier this 12 months when he returned at UFC 301 and turned again the clock with a classic efficiency. The former featherweight champion has been competing within the bantamweight division the previous 5 years and swept the scorecards in May towards Jonathan Martinez, who had been on a six-fight successful streak. At 38 years previous, Aldo will look to repeat that success when he takes on one other rising 135-pounder who’s a winner of six in a row, Mario Bautista.
Aldo was deserving of his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame throughout his non permanent hiatus, and though he has already reached the height of the game, he continues to carry out at a excessive stage into his late 30s — a rarity within the smaller weight courses — and his championship aspirations stay as sturdy as ever.
“I’m looking for a title fight, and that’s what I’m focused on today,” Aldo informed reporters in Salt Lake City Wednesday. “I have the dream of becoming champion and I give my all in training for that. I do what it takes, and rest assured that I’m well prepared.”
Aldo is barely 7-6 since dropping his 145-pound championship to Conor McGregor again in 2015, nonetheless, he has received 4 of his previous 5 as a bantamweight, with that lone loss coming to present champion Merab Dvalishvili in 2022 in Aldo’s ultimate combat earlier than stepping away.
Dvalishvili not too long ago beat Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 to win the title and did so by utilizing his dominant wrestling. Dvalishvili has received 11 consecutive fights with 68 complete takedowns throughout that stretch. When he fought Aldo, although, Dvalishvili went 0-for-16 on his makes an attempt.
Aldo will not be on the entrance of the road at 135 kilos, however a convincing win because the underdog towards a expertise like Bautista who flies underneath the radar on this stacked division would maintain Aldo’s goals of turning into a two-division champion alive.
PEREIRA NOT PLANNING ON JUMPING WEIGHT CLASSES NEXT
The UFC’s 205-pound champion has teased each a transfer as much as heavyweight to problem the likes of Tom Aspinall or Jon Jones, but in addition extra not too long ago a drop again all the way down to 185 kilos for a matchup with middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.
For now, although, in all probability to the delight of UFC matchmakers and brass, Pereira pumped the brakes on altering weight when requested about his doable plans following UFC 307.
“I would actually choose to defend my belt (next),” Pereira Wednesday, by way of an interpreter. “For me to go to a lower weight class, it would take some time, (I’d) need some preparation. For me to go to a higher weight class, it also takes more preparation. So, right now, the way it is at light heavyweight is perfect.”
Pereira has grow to be essentially the most lively UFC champion throughout his rise to stardom.
FAMILY FIGHT NIGHT
Before Raquel Pennington makes an attempt her first title defence towards one-time titleholder Julianna Pena in Saturday’s co-main occasion, the present ladies’s bantamweight champion will watch her spouse compete on the prelims.
Tecia Pennington, previously Tecia Torres, faces Carla Esparza in a rematch of an exhibition bout they’d throughout their appearances on The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned, which was filmed a full decade in the past.
This will not be the primary time the couple has fought on the identical card.
The most up-to-date time was UFC 273 in April 2022 nevertheless it additionally occurred at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov in June 2020, UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Evans in April 2016, Invicta FC 4 (a card headlined by Esparza in January 2013) and Invicta FC 3 in October 2012, which was Tecia’s professional debut and Raquel’s fifth professional bout. Do your self a favour and check out these two Invicta playing cards, a fully stacked lineup of future UFC stars and champions at each occasions.
Both ladies’s have 3-2 information when on the identical card; Raquel is 3-0 within the UFC underneath these circumstances whereas Tecia is 1-2 within the UFC on playing cards that additionally characteristic Raquel.
Tecia is coming off back-to-back split-decision losses, each of which had been shut and will have gone her means. The 35-year-old is 9-7 in her UFC profession, with notable wins over Rose Namajunas and Michelle Waterson, amongst others. She has by no means been completed in her MMA profession and 4 of her losses had been to UFC champions Weili Zhang, Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Namajunas of their rematch.
FAREWELL FIGHT FOR ESPARZA
Sticking with this strawweight matchup, win or lose, Carla Esparza has introduced she’s going to name it a profession following the bout.
Esparza is a former two-time UFC strawweight titleholder. She was the group’s inaugural 115-pound champ after successful the primary all-female season of The Ultimate Fighter and was Invicta FC’s inaugural champ earlier than that.
The soon-to-be 37-year-old has not fought since her second title reign ended at UFC 281, the place she was submitted by present champion Zhang Weili. Esparza has overwhelmed her UFC 307 opponent as soon as beforehand and holds notable victories over Alexa Grasso, Yan Xiaonan, Virna Jandiroba, Michelle Waterson and Jessica Penne, plus Namajunas (twice).
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Projected UFC 307 bout order under:
MAIN CARD
— Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (5 rounds)
— Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena (5 rounds)
— Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
— Ketlen Vieira vs. Kayla Harrison
— Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Stephen Thompson vs. Joaquin Buckley
— Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo
— Austin Hubbard vs. Alexander Hernandez
— Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria
— Ryan Spann vs. Ovince Saint Preux
— Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
— Court McGee vs Tim Means
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