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UFC 307 is within the books and Alex Pereira stays the king of the sunshine heavyweight division.
This previous Saturday in Salt Lake Metropolis, Pereira retained his title with a fourth-round TKO over Khalil Rountree Jr. in a surprisingly aggressive struggle. Pereira now has three profitable title defenses at 205 kilos and is the present frontrunner for Fighter of the Yr honors.
However that’s not all that occurred! Within the co-main occasion, Julianna Peña reclaimed the ladies’s bantamweight belt with a controversial determination win over Raquel Pennington. On prime of that, Kayla Harrison picked up an enormous win, Jose Aldo misplaced one other contentious determination, and a complete host of different stuff occurred so with a lot to speak about, let’s collect the MMA Combating mind belief to debate every thing that occurred at UFC 307.
1. What’s your transient evaluation of UFC 307?
Heck: Bizarre. Wacky. Wild. It was like having dinner at Olive Backyard, having fun with the free salad and breadsticks, having a strong rooster parmesan entree that didn’t knock your socks off, however you simply love you some rooster parm, after which having dessert at a five-star Michelin rated restaurant.
The Olive Backyard take is likely to be controversial relying on who you discuss to, so that completely encapsulates a whole lot of the large storylines within the aftermath — dangerous judging, one of many worst refereeing performances in UFC historical past — however what Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr. did in that octagon was completely ridiculous. Pereira going by means of what he went by means of on the street to the struggle, to not having his fastball, nonetheless discovering a strategy to win on an evening that was in all probability nowhere close to his greatest, after which the unbelievable coronary heart of Rountree on prime of it. Completely unreal.
Lee: I’m going to double up on the bizarre angle right here. Like, bear in mind when the UFC used to have subtitles for his or her pay-per-views? These had been the times. This one could be “UFC 307: Bizarre, Wacky, and Wild.”
Wonky scores and refereeing, some deeply unsatisfying outcomes, Carla Esparza and Alexander Hernandez getting cheered like they’re Anderson Silva, Court docket McGee ending somebody (!!!), it was only one unusual prevalence after one other. I don’t know if UFC 307 was good by your normal definition of that phrase, however it was memorable. We’ll be speaking about this one for some time.
Martin: An ideal most important occasion, an unbelievable knockout to cap off the prelims after which not a lot else to put in writing house about.
On paper, UFC 307 wasn’t probably the most stacked card of the yr, however there have been nonetheless some notable names competing, however a lot of these did not reside as much as expectations. Jose Aldo ought to by no means return to Utah. Kevin Holland breaking a rib (or no matter precisely occurred to him) ended that struggle and even Kayla Harrison as a 9-to-1 favourite didn’t maul Ketlen Vieira as most anticipated her to do. A controversial scorecard within the co-main occasion after which some actually terrible refereeing didn’t assist issues a lot.
Fortunately, Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr. saved the day and that’s in the end what we’re going to recollect most.
Meshew: In a phrase: satisfactory.
Opinions different about UFC 307 beforehand with some saying the cardboard was weak, whereas others thought it was bizarre however fairly good. I used to be among the many latter camp, and I’ll be sincere, earlier than the 2 title fights, the naysayers had been trying a bit prescient. However then the co-main occasion between Peña and Pennington exceeded expectations, and the primary occasion delivered a wonderful nightcap.
In the long run, this card was a bit bizarre, and among the outcomes had been goofy (extra on that later), however a whole lot of significant motion occurred and issues ended effectively. The UFC could not have a success a house run, however they got on base.
2. What was the most effective a part of the night?
Meshew: It was the primary occasion, duh.
As famous above, a whole lot of this card was goofy, and a few of it was very dumb or irritating, however the primary occasion didn’t have these points. At this level, Pereira is licensed must-see TV, and whereas I feel everybody anticipated that Rountree would no less than play his position in delivering a enjoyable struggle, I don’t assume many people anticipated it to be as enjoyable because it was for so long as it was.
Pereira is a cataclysmic pressure of nature within the cage who has run by means of previous champions, however for almost 20 minutes, the unsung Rountree discovered it in himself to match “Poatan.” Rountree didn’t survive in opposition to Pereira, however gave nearly as good as he acquired for an excellent very long time, even dropping the champ at one level. Rountree in the end succumbed to the relentless barrage from Pereira however all of us acquired to witness a person enter the crucible and discover the most effective of himself. I don’t find out about y’all, however that’s what I’m right here for.
Lee: How nice was it to see Carla Esparza get her flowers?
I do know she’s not the preferred UFC champion ever—she is nearly absolutely the least widespread TWO-TIME UFC champion—and her straight-line wrestling fashion wasn’t precisely the stuff that Struggle of the Night time awards are made from. However Esparza is a pioneer of girls’s MMA and somebody who had a heck of a whole lot of success within the cage, with wins over a lot of notable names together with Rose Namajunas (twice), Yan Xiaonan, Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Alexa Grasso, and Virna Jandiroba.
She was the UFC’s first strawweight champion, and consider it or not, probably a future Corridor of Famer. The gang at Delta Middle appeared to understand what Esparza gave to the sport, and the tribute video put collectively for her was the icing on the cake.
Heck: The right reply is clear, so I’m going to go a course no person — and I imply NOBODY — thought I’d go: Joaquin Buckley.
Sure, you learn that proper.
After delivering an all-time horrendous callout — after which getting steady dangerous warmth after continually defending it — Buckley delivered an A+ evening on the workplace on Saturday with a shocking third-round knockout of Stephen Thompson in a struggle that was far more enjoyable than most thought it might be.
On prime of that, Buckley did the factor on the microphone. He put over champion Belal Muhammad and assumed upcoming challenger Shavkat Rahkmonov, then got here by means of with a unbelievable callout of Kamaru Usman. He could not get that struggle, however it was the appropriate title to drop, and a fair higher strategy to it. The person is studying.
Martin: Alex Pereira simply doing Alex Pereira issues.
Whereas Rountree wasn’t probably the most deserving contender, he was arguably nonetheless probably the most harmful. That is the person who flattened kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki only a few years in the past, and he got here out prepared so as to add Pereira’s head to his mantle. However Pereira was having none of it. He allowed Rountree to get off to a quick begin, exerting a complete lot of vitality and continually whiffing on a lot of his greatest punches.
Like Floyd Mayweather used to take action routinely throughout his boxing profession, Pereira gave away a spherical or two so he may get a learn on Rountree after which he began selecting him aside. It was actually masterful to observe Pereira begin chipping away with calf kicks after which stabbing Rountree with one of many nastiest jabs we’ve seen since Georges St-Pierre retired. As soon as he noticed that his prey was wounded, Pereira actually reworked into the predator.
This may occasionally not go down as his greatest win however it’s arguably Pereira’s most mature efficiency up to now and that was awe-inspiring to witness. Oh and it’s simply his third title protection inside six months. Good day, Fighter of the Yr!
3. What was your least favourite a part of the night?
Lee: Sadly, for no matter motive, the denizens of Salt Lake Metropolis sought to steadiness out their respect for Esparza with a weird quantity of vitriol for her opponent Tecia Pennington.
It must be famous that their motivation for booing Pennington was probably their disagreement with the choice (together with a debatable 30-27 rating in Pennington’s favor), however that negativity spilled over within the worst means when Pennington used her post-fight speech time to dedicate her struggle to Breast Most cancers Consciousness and her not too long ago deceased grandmother. Sure, the followers continued to boo as Pennington talked about her grandmother who died from breast most cancers.
Essentially the most optimistic learn of the state of affairs is that almost all of the viewers couldn’t hear what Pennington was saying and had been planning to boo it doesn’t matter what she stated, however perhaps… don’t try this? Hear first?
Regardless of the motive, it made the great individuals of Utah come off as soulless demons on the published.
Heck: Sure, the judging was dangerous, and I consider Raquel Pennington and Jose Aldo ought to’ve gotten their fingers raised, and you’ll definitely make a case that Carla Esparza’s swan music ought to’ve ended happier.
But it surely’s referee Dave Seljestad, and it’s not all that shut.
Refereeing as a complete continues has gotten so much worse in 2024. The third particular person within the cage simply doesn’t need to put themselves able to influence the results of a struggle, I get it, however what Seljestad did within the Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria struggle was inexcusable. This isn’t hyperbole, Seljestad made a case of getting the worst displaying from a referee I’ve ever seen in a UFC struggle. Almeida delivered 4 eye pokes, and a low blow to Potieria, and never solely did a degree not get taken, however Seljestad didn’t even ship a performative stern warning. Seljestad went on to create awkward separations and took the headlines absolutely away from the fighters.
I hate to be that man, however he both wants to return to referee faculty and brush up, or he ought to discover a new line of labor.
Martin: My colleague Mr. Heck is appropriate together with his criticism of referee Dave Seljestad — that was simply horrendous — however I’ll single out Julianna Peña for fumbling the ball so badly after she gained a title most didn’t consider she deserved.
After “beating” Raquel Pennington within the co-main occasion, Pena had the prospect to start out constructing in the direction of her inevitable title protection in opposition to Kayla Harrison however as a substitute she simply fully ignored the No. 1 contender and as a substitute known as for a struggle in opposition to anyone who’s been retired for over 16 months.
Perhaps Amanda Nunes finally comes again, or maybe she simply stays retired, however proper now she’s not even on the energetic roster. At greatest if Nunes declared her comeback right this moment, she nonetheless wants no less than six months of drug testing earlier than she may struggle, and the UFC is clearly organising a struggle between Pena and Harrison. The manufacturing crew even had a cut up display arrange displaying Harrison backstage for her rapid response and Pena nonetheless in some way whiffed! For anyone who spent all week claiming she was a greater consultant for the ladies’s bantamweight division, Pena walked away from UFC 307 with a controversial win after which requested for a struggle that in all probability gained’t occur. Method to go.
Meshew: All of those decisions are glorious, however they’re not the appropriate one. There may be solely “worst factor” that occurred Saturday, and it must be everybody’s least favourite factor: Mario Bautista.
Jose Aldo is one among six biggest fighters in MMA historical past. “Dwelling Legend” is a time period that will get bandied about too typically however it completely applies to “The King of Rio.” However regardless of this actuality, Aldo has not leveraged his legend standing within the closing years of his profession to cherry-pick fights like different have (*cough* you, Jon Jones *cough*). As an alternative, Aldo is prepared to present no-name up-and-comers their shot at a legend. He’s an honorable man.
And within the lead as much as this struggle, Bautista proclaimed he would even be honorable. On the pre-fight press convention, Bautista promised there could be blood within the struggle. However when the time got here and his soul was put to the take a look at, Bautista blinked. As an alternative of delivering the blood and guts he promised, Bautista grabbed a leg and desperately held onto a clinch.
Setting apart the truth that per the scoring standards, Aldo one hundred pc ought to have gained that struggle, every thing about this was horrible. Bautista didn’t make a single fan with that efficiency and really probably misplaced a lot of them. And on prime of it, no less than when Merab Dvalishvili did the identical factor to Aldo, all of us form of knew he’d go on to struggle for the belt.
We wasted one of many few remaining Aldo fights on an opponent who promised us steak and delivered a cowpatty. Bummer.
4. Did something shock you?
Lee: Yeah, Court docket McGee ending a struggle!
In a stat that sounds loopy however really shouldn’t be in the slightest degree shocking, McGee submitted Tim Means to select up his first end since locking in an arm-triangle on Ryan Jensen at UFC 121 in 2010. UFC 121! That really occurred on Oct. 23 of that yr, so McGee was near going 14 years with no win through knockout or submission.
The Ogden native fought in his house state for the primary time since 2016 and one can solely credit score the fantastic Utah air for activating McGee’s dormant killer intuition. Twenty-three UFC fights, three submission wins in that point, one magical night.
Heck: Probably not, as a result of it’s 2024 and only a few issues may. So I’ll take this a distinct, and extra disgusting course — the blood booger.
Khalil Rountree is getting his flowers from the Salt Lake Metropolis crowd for his efforts in opposition to Alex Pereira. Mid-sentence, a purple, slimy, thick, gooey, blood strand that may be in comparison with the little child from Large Daddy spitting on the bottom after consuming a dozen packets of ketchup. Rountree then, with full class, put a towel in entrance of the ooze, carried on together with his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan and soaked within the applause.
It was disgusting to observe reside, however in a bizarre means, it was a poetic conclusion to the evening, the struggle, and the Rountree construct to this final problem.
Meshew: Joaquin Buckley did the factor!
Mike already spoke on this so I gained’t elaborate an excessive amount of, however I’ve been fairly exhausting on Buckley this yr (deservedly so) for almost every thing he’s executed outdoors of the cage. His bad callout of Conor McGregor, to then starting an ill-informed beef with beloved fighter Cub Swanson, and form of hinting at preventing Daniel Cormier over nothing, was all a showcase in tips on how to alienate followers. However then UFC 307 got here round and he totally redeemed himself!
Not solely did Buckley end Stephen Thompson, however he needed to dig deep to do it because the struggle was more durable than anticipated. After which the Kamaru Usman callout was glorious for all the explanations Mike acknowledged. I hope Buckley will get that matchup and he retains this newfound vitality heading into 2025.
Martin: Jon Anik almost leaping out of his seat to deal with referee Dave Seljestad throughout the Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria struggle was superior.
Usually talking, Anik is the voice of motive within the broadcast sales space as a result of he’s the play-by-play man — his job includes calling the motion, and he often leaves the bombastic overreactions for Daniel Cormier or Joe Rogan as coloration commentators. However there was a second on Saturday evening when Anik was basically seething with anger watching Seljestad pause the struggle on 4 events for eye pokes but by no means really warning Almeida for the fouls a lot much less deducting any factors.
Then Seljestad simply began separating the fighters any time they acquired clinched up in opposition to the cage. It significantly felt like Anik was about to pull a Khabib Nurmagomedov besides he could be leaping into the cage to dish out some punishment to a woefully poor referee.
5. What’s your greatest query popping out of the occasion?
Heck: What are the matchmakers pondering on the subject of Jose Aldo? Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard should not good at their jobs, they’re glorious at them — no less than, 95 p.c of the time. In terms of Aldo, it has been completely brutal.
I stand by my take that reserving Aldo in opposition to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 would be the worst matchmaking within the historical past of the bantamweight division. Together with his profession (on the time) winding down, and using a three-fight win streak, Aldo preventing Aljamain Sterling for the title was completely the right transfer to make. As an alternative, Aldo acquired Merab’d regardless of defending the entire now-current champ’s takedowns, and Sterling ended up preventing a one-armed T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 two months later. Tremendous dangerous throughout the board.
Then, Aldo fights out his deal in Brazil at UFC 301 in opposition to Jonathan Martinez. Didn’t love the reserving, however I acquired it contemplating the circumstances. Aldo wins, turns into a free agent, and elects to return to the promotion. So what will we do? Put him in a no-win state of affairs in opposition to Mario Bautista. As I’ve been saying because the struggle was booked, didn’t get this one in any respect, particularly after beating Martinez. I believed Aldo gained, Bautista, no less than because the scorecard reads, did win. And what does he acquire outdoors of a win bonus (which is clearly necessary)? Not a rattling factor however a bunch of detractors due to how he did it, which many believed was his solely likelihood to take action.
At this level, the Aldo preventing for a UFC title once more dream is probably going useless. So if we don’t get Aldo vs. Dominick Cruz subsequent, what within the blue hell are we doing right here?
Lee: Did anybody elevate their inventory greater than Khalil Rountree Jr.?
Even in defeat, Rountree deserves a ton of respect. Not solely did he stand and bang with the UFC’s scariest striker, he landed loads of photographs of his personal, a number of of which might have knocked out 90 p.c of the roster. Loads of us had been trying previous Rountree to future marquee matchups for Pereira, however Rountree proved he’s a star in his personal proper.
I can see him taking a post-championship struggle profession path just like that of Anthony Smith. When Smith misplaced an uninspiring determination to Jon Jones, it was simple to put in writing him off. All he’s executed since is struggle a dozen extra instances with loads of Struggle Night time headliners and most important card appearances to his title. If that’s what lies forward for Rountree, that ain’t dangerous.
Meshew: How are so many championship-level fighters SO dangerous at promotion? And when is the UFC going to lastly do one thing about it? To be honest, this isn’t nearly this occasion, however it’s the fruits of an extremely irritating yr of recent champions.
When Ilia Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, he instantly began speaking light-weight and dismissing featherweight challengers. Sean O’Malley tried to dismiss Merab, however in the end needed to give in to public sentiment. After lastly profitable the title Belal Muhammad tried to pivot to Kamaru Usman regardless of the complete world wanting the Shavkat Rakhmonov struggle. And previously two occasions, Merab had probably the most tone-deaf reply potential when the UFC tried to arrange the Umar Nurmagomedov struggle, and Peña had the atrocious callout of Amanda Nunes when fairly clearly she’s preventing Kayla Harrison subsequent.
2024 has been a banner yr for brand spanking new champions being fully unable to learn the room. These types of issues at greatest make the fighter look foolish and at worst alienate followers and provides the looks that you just’re ducking somebody. That is Day One selling and half the present UFC champions have failed egregiously.
Martin: Did we simply witness the tip of Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson as a viable prime 15 welterweight?
Regardless of a valiant effort early, Thompson’s evening nonetheless ended with him face first on the canvas after Joaquin Buckley unloaded a large proper hand that put him down and out within the third spherical. The knockout drops Thompson to 1-4 in his previous 4 appearances and none of these losses had been significantly shut.
At 41, Thompson’s days as a perennial prime 10 contender had been probably over it doesn’t matter what, and he was in all probability solely sustaining gatekeeper standing even with a win, however now there’s a world the place he simply slips out of the rankings all collectively — a place he’s maintained for the higher a part of the previous decade. Thompson says he’s just as spry now as he was at 25, however the outcomes say totally different.
6. How are we going to recollect UFC 307?
Meshew: We’ll bear in mind UFC 307 because the evening Jamahal Hill lastly gained the trash-talk warfare in opposition to Alex Pereira.
JK. Nothing that man loves more than getting dunked on, apparently.
Saturday was the day Pereira bodied two individuals in a single evening.
Heck: Once more, the reply is clear, so I’ll go underneath the radar once more. I’ll clearly bear in mind the primary occasion, however I’ll additionally recall this as an evening the place each Carla Esparza and Alexander Hernandez got standing ovations by an enormous UFC viewers on the identical card.
Esparza isn’t often a fighter showered with cheers, and it’s very powerful to please a reside UFC crowd, even when it’s the ultimate time you step within the octagon. “Cookie Monster” deserved each cheer, each clap, each little bit of positivity she acquired as she capped off one of many extra undervalued careers ever in girls’s MMA.
And for Hernandez, the person has been an enemy of the state because the press convention previous to his knockout loss to Donald Cerrone. Hernandez has had one of many weirdest UFC careers I’ve seen since I began overlaying the game. He knocks out Beneil Dariush in his short-notice UFC debut and is straight away a prime 15 man within the hardest division in MMA. The person, now six years into his UFC profession, would possibly now be getting a uncommon second likelihood to make an impression with a whole lot of constructive momentum following a win in a enjoyable struggle with Austin Hubbard.
Lee: The cardboard that put the ladies’s bantamweight division again on monitor. Critically.
Fight sports activities wants personalities, and love her or hate her, Julianna Peña is one among them. And agree with the choice or not, she is as soon as once more a UFC champion. Her name for an Amanda Nunes trilogy was equal components absurd, annoying, and—relying in your perspective—hilarious, and despite the fact that that struggle unequivocally shouldn’t occur, it was an effective way to troll Kayla Harrison.
For Harrison’s half, she impressed in opposition to a battle-tested Ketlen Vieira, approaching sturdy within the third spherical to cement her standing because the No. 1 contender at 135 kilos. Peña brushing her off ought to solely enhance the anticipation for his or her inevitable grudge match.
After which there’s Pennington, who instantly grew to become a tragic hero after pummeling Peña within the championship rounds, however nonetheless falling brief on the scorecards. Followers have by no means been on her facet greater than they had been on Saturday and that ought to carry over into her subsequent struggle—and presumably a rematch with Peña sometime.
Bantamweight is intriguing once more!
Martin: It’s the evening the place Alex Pereira cemented himself because the 2024 Fighter of the Yr and one of many UFC’s greatest stars (not that he wasn’t already).
Champions not often compete greater than twice a yr today, and lots of instances it’s solely as soon as, however Pereira has now fought and defended his belt thrice previously six months. He demolished Jamahal Hill to cap off UFC 300 in April after which did the identical to Jiri Prochazka simply two months later whereas nonetheless nursing a damaged toe. Pereira waited a complete three months to return to motion earlier than vanquishing Rountree on Saturday.
There was a time when Pereira was solely presupposed to be the man introduced in to present Israel Adesanya a brand new problem after he worn out the complete middleweight division. Now lower than three years later — sure, significantly he simply debuted in November 2021 — Pereira is without doubt one of the faces of the UFC.
At 37, it’s powerful to say how a lot time Pereira has left however take pleasure in each second as a result of what we’re witnessing proper now’s the ascendancy of anyone who may go down as an all-time nice.
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