UFC 307: Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree Jr Betting Tips
Alex Pereira faces off against Khalil Rountree Jr this weekend at UFC 307 in what will be the third defence of his Light Heavyweight title in 2024.
The Brazilian is already a two-weight world champion as he prepares to make only his tenth Octagon walk against the number eight-ranked contender.
The co-main event in Salt Lake City sees Raquel Pennington defend her Bantamweight title for the first time against long-time rival and former champion Julianna Peña.
TIP 1 - Alex Pereira to win in rounds 1-2 - 9/10
The numbers for this one stack up to be an early night in the main event.
Alex Pereira has had six KO/TKO wins inside the Octagon, five of which have been in rounds one and two.
The 37-year-old’s last three wins in title class at Light Heavyweight have not gone past round two, while in his only UFC defeat to date, the Brazilian was stopped by Israel Adesanya in their Middleweight title rematch in the second round.
Khalil Rountree Jr has six first-round or second-round wins in the UFC and three defeats.
The American has seven KO/TKO wins in total, knocking out Anthony Smith in the third round of his last UFC outing in December.
Pereira brings a 64% striking accuracy to the table, which has seen him land knockout blows to Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, Jamahal Hill and Jiří Procházka across two divisions.
Although Rountree Jr is dangerous, Pereira has the top-level experience to brutally exploit any opening and secure yet another finish.
TIP 2 - Kayla Harrison v Ketlen Vieira under 2.5 rounds - 6/5
Kayla Harrison is a massive favourite to finish this fight and it is easy to see why.
The two-time Olympic judo gold medallist made a big statement in her UFC debut in April as she subdued former Bantamweight champion Holly Holm in round two.
Moving over from rival promotion PFL, the American twice won the Lightweight tournament at 155 lbs and now competes at 135 lbs in the UFC.
While in the PFL, Harrison was 15-1 with 11 stoppage wins, five by KO/TKO and six by submission.
The 34-year-old looked even more dangerous as she took advantage of being allowed to utilise elbows on the ground in her UFC debut by landing some vicious blows on Holm.
Ketlen Vieira was last seen over a year ago picking up a decision win over Pannie Kianzad in July 2023.
The 33-year-old is 8-3 in the UFC and has seen seven of her wins come by decision.
In her previous two fights she lost a split decision to current champion Raquel Pennington and earnt a similar-margin victory over Holly Holm.
However, the size advantage Harrison possesses was shown in her own fight with Holm and expect it to be the same on this occasion as she looks to get another finish and set up a title opportunity against the winner of the co-main event.
TIP 3 - Aldo, Jose to win by decision - 19/10
Whatever happens from here on in, UFC hall of famer Jose Aldo will go down as a legend of MMA.
The 38-year-old made a comeback in May, almost two years after stepping away from the UFC to try his hand at boxing.
Aldo looked sensational as he saw off rising contender Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in Brazil as he rolled back the years to outstrike the gritty American.
Martinez was riding a six-fight win streak going into the fight against the Brazilian, the exact same form as 31-year-old Mario Bautista.
The American showed some exquisite striking in his last outing in a unanimous-decision win against Ricky Simon in January, which took his UFC record to 8-2.
Bautista has one KO/TKO in the UFC and three submissions and will mix up his attacks as he looks to move into the top ten of the division.
Aldo has fantastic takedown defence standing at 91%, which was still evident when stuffing all 16 of current champion Merab Dvalishvili’s takedowns at UFC 278, intriguingly also in Salt Lake City.
Aldo has come up short in title or title-elimination class in recent years, but it still takes the elite of the division to get past him and he’s the pick this weekend to hold his position.