UFC 307 PREDICTION: ALEX PEREIRA VS KHALIL ROUNTREE JR

Saturday, October 5, 2024

10:00 PM EDT

Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Streaming: TNT SPORTS, ESPN+

Cheers!! On Saturday, Salt Lake City will host another UFC Octagon blockbuster Light Heavyweight division fight. The scheduled bout would have [#1 LHW/#6 P4P] (C) Alex Pereira try to defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for the third time against “The War Horse,” [#8 LHW] Khalil Rountree Jr.  All odds are available via fightodds.io

FIGHTERS BREAKDOWN

ALEX PEREIRA

Alex is currently the undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight champion, after he successfully defended the title against Jiří Procházka at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024. This bout ended when Jiří was knocked out by a head kick. This was achieved in less than a minute into the second round, earning the Performance of the Night award. The two-time kickboxing champion’s first meeting with Jiří Procházka was in November 2023. Prior to Alex ending the bout in style, with a left hook to hammer fists and elbows knockout in the second round, the belt had been vacant.

He was able to defend the title again, five months later. This was against Jamahal Hill and Pereira won via a knockout victory. With two losses in his professional MMA career, the most significant against Nigerian “The Last Stylebender”, had Israel Adesanya failing to defend his UFC Middleweight Championship. Alex has been on an upward trajectory, moving to the Light Heavyweight division. His first bout within the Light Heavyweight division came in a co-main event against Jan Błachowicz, on July 29, 2023, winning by split decision. During his kickboxing career, he won the vacant WGP Championship against César Almeida, in June 2015. The Glory Kickboxing bout was a 187 lbs Championship against Simon Marcus, via an unanimous decision in October 2017. Then, Glory Kickboxing Light Heavyweight Championship against Artem Vakhitov, in January, 2021. Since joining UFC in 2021, Alex has recorded six knockouts and two decision victories.

KHALIL ROUNTREE

Khalil was a moderate favorite in his last fight with the bookies odds of -200, when he faced Anthony Smith on the 9th of December, 2023. The bout ended in his favor; it was after an uppercut-left hook combo punch, in the third round. This allowed him to earn the UFC Fight Night performance award, which he has won four times in his career.

Since joining the UFC in 2016, he has majorly fought in UFC Fight Night, with his first bout against Tyson Pedro. This ended in a loss through submission. In October 2022, he fought against former kickboxing star Dustin Jacoby, which ended in a split decision victory. Prior to this, he knocked out both, Karl Roberson (hook and body kicks) and Modestas Bukauskas (side kick to the knee), in the second round. The American took part in The Ultimate Fighter Season 23, knocking out Mo DeReese in his first match. He then got taken down by Cory Hendricks a month later before finding redemption in March that same year in a knockout win against Josh Stansbury. However, this was short-lived, as by July 8, 2016, The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale was against Andrew Sanchez through a unanimous decision.

WHAT TO EXPECT?

With the unique form of both fighters, fans can be assured the Octagon will feel this heat. It is expected that the scores will be settled within the cage. Alex Pereira has been shining in his new weight class record and impressive four wins in four bouts. He has shown evidently that he still should be respected, given that his recent wins were against top former champions and were knockout victories majorly. Khalil Rountree will be shooting for a title after keeping a consecutive five wins since 2021, via knockout. He has not had any bouts this year after his temporary suspension, which led to his fight against Jamahal Hill being canceled. Alex has given himself the needed test going into this fight with two bouts this year. However, Khalil will have had more time to train and recover.

Both fighters possess a similar approach to their game, which is to firstly sit back and discover their opponent’s approach before countering to secure the win. With such an approach, I see this bout slightly sliding out of the second round into the third. Alex is known for his back-to-back performances, so I expect that this particular bout will win the performance of the night. He is also a master stylist in knockouts and would get that done in the early minutes of the third round. Alex will have to also cover for his defensive approach, or else he will be exploited with the finesse of Khalil Rountree.

ALEX PEREIRA TO WIN AND OVER 1.5 ROUNDS

ALEX PEREIRA TO WIN IN ROUND 3

Joshua Okeke

Joshua Okeke’s journey in sports writing began with lively debates about football’s greatest players, eventually leading to a career with top publications in the US and India. His work has been featured on the front pages of newspapers like Nordonia Hills, praised for its clarity and engagement. Specializing in SEO, sports analytics, video editing, and digital content management, he crafts articles that resonate with fans, simplifying complex topics. Committed to helping aspiring writers and promoting remote opportunities in journalism, he shares practical advice on LinkedIn while pursuing a master’s in Mining Geophysics.