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SALT LAKE CITY — The country's top mixed martial arts promotion is coming back to Utah with a third consecutive Pay-Per-View event in the state, and details of the card have been finalized.
Tickets go on sale Friday for UFC 307 at the Delta Center, the Oct. 5 card that will be headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between Alex Pereira and No. 8-ranked contender Khalil Roundtree Jr. in a battle of knockout artists.
Pereira, 37, will be going for his third title defense in 2024 since moving up a weight class and defeating former light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz via split decision at UFC 291 last July in Salt Lake City. He clinched the title with a TKO stoppage in the second round of a match with former light heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka at UFC 295 in November, and defended it with a first-round knockout over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April.
Most recently, Pereira knocked out Procházka in a rematch at UFC 303 in June, knocking down the Czechian fighter with a left hook in the final seconds of the first round before winning with a head kick knockdown early in the second.
"The last two events have been an incredible experience with two of the most iconic knockouts ever," said UFC President and CEO Dana White in a statement. "And this main event for the light heavyweight title is between two of the hardest punchers in the division.
"The fans at the Utah events have been amazing and this is one of the nicest arenas I've ever been to," he added. "I want to thank the Utah Sports Commission and Smith Entertainment Group for their continued support. Get ready, everybody — UFC 307 is going to be a fun one!"
Pereira (11-2, fighting out of Danbury, Connecticut, by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil) has taken UFC by storm after a decorated kickboxing career, and a UFC jumpstart that included a victory over Israel Adesanya — one of five wins over former UFC champions in his first eight fights.
Roundtree (13-5, fighting out of Las Vegas) is currently riding a five-fight win streak, including wins over Anthony Smith, Chris Daukaus and Modestas Bukauskas.
In a co-headline bout, UFC bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington will defend her title against former champion and top-ranked contender Julianna Peña in a rivalry match that dates back to The Ultimate Fighter season 18 more than a decade ago.
Pennington (16-9, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colorado) is riding a six-fight win streak, including victories over Mayra Bueno Silva, Ketlen Vieira and Macy Chiasson.
Peña (12-5, fighting out of Chicago, Illinois, by way of Spokane, Washington) will be a top challenger after wins over Amanda Nunes, Sara McMann and Nicco Montano.
Here's a look at the other announced fights on the card for UFC 307, which will begin Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. MDT with the main event scheduled to go off at 8 p.m. MDT.
- UFC Hall of Fame inductee Jose Aldo (32-8, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) returns to Salt Lake City for the first time since 2022 when the ninth-ranked bantamweight faces No. 12 Mario Bautista (14-2, fighting out of Phoenix, Arizona)
- No. 2-ranked Ketlen Vieira (14-3, fighting out of Manaus, Brazil, will face two-time Olympic gold medal judoka artist and third-ranked Kayla Harrison (17-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida) in a bantamweight contenders' bout
- No. 9-ranked Stephen "Wonder Boy" Thompson (17-7-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, South Carolina) will make his return to Salt Lake City (after his UFC 291 bout with Michel Pereira was scrapped when Pereira failed to make weight) with a welterweight contenders' match against No. 11 Joaquin Buckley (19-6, fighting out of St. Louis, Missouri)
- No. 10 Roman Dolidze (13-3, fighting out of Batumi, Georgia) will face Kevin Holland (26-11, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) in a middleweight contenders' bout that marks Holland's first return trip to Utah since earning the Performance of the Night bonus with a brabo chokehold submission over Michael Chiesa at UFC 291
- No. 6-ranked featherweight Movsar Evloev (18-0, fighting out of Sunzha, Russia) puts his undefeated record in UFC on the line against former bantamweight champion and eighth-ranked Aljamain Sterling (24-4, fighting out of Uniondale, New York)
- No. 6-ranked Marina Rodriguez (17-4-2, fighting out of Florianopolis, Brazil) faces No. 14 Lasmin Lucindo (16-5, fighting out of Fortaleza, Brazil) in a strawweight contenders' match
- Former two-time UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza (20-7, fighting out of Irvine, California) will face Tecia Pennington (13-7, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colorado)
- Cesar Almeida (5-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) will face middleweight Ihor Potieria (29-6, fighting out of Kiev, Ukraine)
