Alex Pereira wins by TKO over Khalil Rountree Jr. to retain UFC light heavyweight crown

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Alex Pereira retained the UFC light heavyweight crown by beating Khalil Rountree Jr. by TKO with 28 seconds left in the fourth round at UFC 307 on Saturday night.

It was the fourth straight title bout for Pereira (12-2) and his third consecutive successful title defense.

“I want to push myself as much as I can. I’m 37 and I want to take advantage of time but I do need to take a break," Pereira said on fighting four bouts in a less than a year.

Rountree (14-6) showcased his speed early and delivered several hard strikes. At one point, in the second round, he ducked under a roundhouse kick and countered with a strong hook to the face. But Pereira showed more accuracy and consistency in landing blows during the early rounds.

“You knew it was going to be a badass fight,” UFC CEO Dana White said.

Stamina favored Pereira in the fourth round. He found his range and timing and put Rountree on his heels. Pereira forced him to repeatedly cover his face to block strikes and eventually backed him against the fence. He rained blows on Rountree and dropped him to his knees, leading the referee to stop the fight.

“When (Pereira) started calf kicking him, he was destroying that leg,” White said. “He was having trouble putting pressure on it and he was having trouble with his punching power, his movement, everything. He systematically just started picking him apart.”

Pereira’s victory headlined five main card fights on Saturday night.

Julianna Peña defeated Raquel Pennington via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to reclaim the women’s bantamweight crown in a bout billed as the co-main event. Peña originally held the crown after defeating Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 in 2021 and then lost it to Nunes in a rematch at UFC 277 in 2022.

Peña (13-5) fought her first UFC bout in two years. She was originally scheduled to challenge Nunes for the title again at UFC 289 but pulled out a month before the fight after suffering broken ribs during training. The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak for Pennington (16-10) extending back to 2020.

“I am the true Ultimate Fighter,” said Peña, referencing how both fighters competed on Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter TV show earlier in their careers. “I am the last woman standing.”

Peña dominated the early rounds. She dragged Pennington to the canvas in the second and scored a repeat takedown after sweeping her leg in the third. Both times, Pennington struggled to free herself from her grasp.

Pennington briefly shifted momentum with a fourth-round knockdown off a vicious right hook. She was the better striker through five rounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevail.

“I know that I am tough,” Peña said. “I know that I am durable, and I know that I’m never out of the fight. I’m never going to give up on myself, so you’re literally going to have to kill me in there to get me to stop.”

Kayla Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in the other women’s bantamweight bout. Harrison (18-1) made a big statement while outlasting Vieira (14-4), who entered the bout as the No. 2 ranked bantamweight fighter. She bulldozed Vieira to the canvas in the first round and again in the third and kept her shoulders pinned to the floor in the third round until the final horn.

The win opens a door for Harrison, ranked No. 3 before the bout, to challenge Peña for the title. She has made a steady climb since becoming an MMA fighter after winning a pair of Olympic gold medals in judo for Team USA in 2012 and 2016.

Roman Dolidze (14-3) beat Kevin Holland by TKO in the middleweight bout, his sixth victory in eight bouts. Holland (26-12) bowed out before the start of the second round after suffering a rib injury and walked away with a loss for the third time in his last four bouts.

Mario Bautista (15-2) prevailed over Jose Aldo by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) in the men’s bantamweight bout to earn his seventh straight victory. Bautista pressured Aldo (32-9) with relentless attacks over three rounds. But he also pinned the former UFC featherweight champ against the cage for long stretches and the split decision favoring Bautista earned boos from the Delta Center crowd.

White heavily criticized the judging in multiple bouts.

“I thought the judging tonight was atrocious,” White said. “It was like I was in a boxing match in Ireland tonight.”

UFC reported a live gate of $5 million, second highest grossing event at the Delta Center trailing only UFC 291 in 2023. The event drew 17,487 fans.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

John Coon, The Associated Press