UFC 307 ‘Pereira vs. Rountree’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Court McGee (170) vs. Tim Means (171)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Means (-225), McGee (+185)

Round 1

For the low, low price of $79.99 plus tax, applicable fees and an additional subscription to ESPN+, fight fans can peruse the next installment of the UFC. This 12-fight showcase will post up inside of the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, where punk ruled in the 1980s. Just ask Stevo and Heroin Bob…oh. Never mind. Giving the crowd some early red meat—albeit dry aged 39 years—the lone Utah-based fighter on the billing is set for one final farewell. The odds are stacked against McGee (21-13, 10-12 UFC), who hopes for one more vintage performance before riding off into the sunset. He will tangle with a man one year his senior in Means (33-16-1, 1 NC; 15-13, 1 NC UFC), in a veritable senior circuit derby at 170 pounds. To officiate the first contest, referee Jason Herzog takes the reins. There is no touch of gloves from the two sportsmen to kick off the evening’s hostilities, as these grizzled vets want to get right to it. McGee starts aggressively, landing a low kick and pushing his way into a clinch. Means pushes him away before long, and he circles around and kicks at McGee’s front leg and shoves him back once more when McGee attempts to re-engage. They trade body shots, and McGee ties his man up and lands a right hand off the temple on the break. Means jabs out a front kick and shells up to block a combination, but strikes still get through. Means meanders forward, and a brief brawl from the welterweights ensues. McGee, some swelling developing under his right eye, rushes in to change levels, and he hits a takedown to put Means on his seat. McGee circles around in hopes of taking the back, getting one hook in and otherwise keeping Means controlled on the mat. McGee snakes his right arm on the jaw with a one-armed rear-naked choke, and he follows Means while turning to secure back control. Means elbows his opponent in the thigh, and McGee recommits to a rear-naked choke from the other side. Means is warned for grabbing the glove, and he finds himself in a precarious position as the iron grip of McGee. “The Crusher” cannot get the forearm beneath the jaw, so he just elects to crush Means’ face and twist it harmfully to the side with a neck crank. Fresh as a daisy, McGee squeezes with all his might, and Means grimaces in obvious pain. As McGee applies maximum force, the crank elicits a tapout. When Herzog intervenes, Means clutches his neck from the miserable maneuver. Just like that, McGee puts a three-fight skid behind him, and the fans in his home state shower him with love and jubilation for his victory. This marks the first stoppage win for the Utahan since October 2010, and he thanks everyone who supported and stuck with him throughout his lengthy career—one that is not over just yet.

The Official Result

Court McGee def. Tim Means R1 3:19 via Submission (Neck Crank)

Carla Esparza (115.5) vs. Tecia Pennington (115)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Pennington (-180), Esparza (+150)

Round 1

Before the UFC maintained a strawweight division, the promotion scraped together a cast of fighters for the 20th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” to formally open the weight class. On the groundbreaking season, Esparza (19-7, 10-5 UFC) won it all, picking up three wins on the reality show and then a fourth in the finale to secure the inaugural throne. Along the way, she topped Pennington (13-7, 9-7 UFC) on the scorecards, engaging in two-round affair where she captured the majority verdict. Over a decade later, with an actually pro win or loss on the line, the two collide once again. Of note, Esparza specified repeatedly that this would be her last pro fight, although turning 37 in a month, she still has ample time on the clock to turn back. Drawing the assignment for this disrespectfully placed matchup—it is on the early prelims, and Esparza’s last fight was for the belt—will be referee Tyler Tomlinson. Gloves are touched, and Pennington is the initial aggressor as she wades forward. Esparza reaches out with a combination, and Pennington swats it away. Both ladies throw punches that are out of range, and Pennington finds her distance by hopping forward to connect with a right hand. Pennington beats the former champ to the punch with a short flurry of fists, and she backs Esparza up. Esparza looks for a right-hand counter, and the volume of Pennington is giving her issues. Esparza shrugs off two leg kicks as she advances, and shoots for a takedown and is stood up with a pair of powerful punches. Esparza shakes it off and rushes forward with a left hand, only to be met with a step-in knee. The punches from Pennington make Esparza blink it out, and Esparza rushes into action and digs deep for a double-leg takedown. Esparza manages to put Pennington on her back, but she takes a number of upkicks to the face and neck before climbing into side control. Esparza gets going with elbows that bounce off the forehead, and she stifles a scramble to remain in top position. The former champ hooks Pennington’s left arm beneath her legs, and she pursues a crucifix all while landing punches and elbows. Tomlinson issues a few warnings for shots to the back of the head, and Esparza loses the dominant position and reasserts it in a hurry. Esparza keeps smacking Pennington when Pennington bucks and writhes, and the pressure from the ex-champ is overwhelming. Any opening Esparza can find results in a strike landing, even if they are short and fairly harmless. The round ends, and judges might have their hands full determining who won it.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Esparza
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Esparza
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Esparza

Round 2

Between rounds, Pennington’s right eye swells up from the thumping elbows, but she is tended to and just fine to continue. They jab at one another from a safe range to start off Round 2, and they trade low kicks as well. Esparza scoops a right hand over the top, and her low kick catches Pennington rushing in. Pennington fires one off of her own, and it is one-and-done as she resets. Esparza fakes for a takedown to draw out a reaction, and she lets go a one-two that misses the mark by a matter of inches. They chip at one another with kicks, and Esparza winds up with a power right hand that clocks Pennington right on the chin. “The Tiny Tornado” does not waver, staying composed and more focused on counters rather than initiating exchanges. Esparza shoots for a faked takedown to come out with a right over the top, and Pennington does not bite as much and scores a few strikes of her own. Pennington parries a one-two aimed at her and gives her back two low kicks to think about. Esparza clips her foe with a left hand after a false takedown, and Pennington spurs into action and drives Esparza to the wall with a six-punch blitz. Esparza circles away and pushes out with a front kick, and she rips a right hand over the guard. Pennington’s low kicks have developed some welts on the former champ’s lead leg, and they throw caution to the wind and start brawling. Pennington gets the better of the exchange, and Esparza responds by shooting for a takedown. While Pennington stuffs the first try as they drop to their knees, she is wrenched back down, climbs upright and succumbs to a mat return. Pennington wall-walks to get up, and she hops back to dodge a spinning back fist and gets right back in Esparza’s face with a few punches. The round ends with a left hand from “The Cookie Monster.”

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pennington
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pennington
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pennington

Round 3

Reaching the final frame, Pennington moves to the center of the Octagon and paws out several inaccurate jabs. Pennington does land a low kick on the outside, and then gets off one on the inside, but the latter is countered with a few punches up top. Pennington sneaks a high kick up that slaps Esparza in the cheek, and she keeps doing work on the front leg. Pennington digs a kick to the ribs, pushing her foe back and not letting her get in her groove. Esparza dips and scores a left hook, and she springs away when Pennington rushes at her, hands flying. Pennington mixes up kicks to the lead leg and body, keeping Esparza guessing and sending her off-balance as the kicks down low start to add up. Esparza whiffs on a big right hand, and she tries and fails to check a kick on her way back. Pennington beats on that lead wheel, and Esparza limps back and then surges into action with a left hand that clips her opponent. Pennington fires right back and ends the combo with a leg kick, spinning into a back kick that Esparza rushes past. Pennington hammers the leg with kicks, and Esparza is stuck without answers. Esparza tries to slug it out, and she scores only to get knocked back with a right. Repeated slaps from leg kicks of Pennington echo in the building, and Esparza does little until racing at her opponent swinging wildly. Every one of these blitzes is met with furious counters from “The Tiny Tornado,” but Esparza manages to land first. Pennington dings her with a right hand on the way out, and she kicks Esparza coming in to trip Esparza up. Esparza steels herself and crashes forward, sweeping one leg and putting Pennington on her back. Esparza leaps into a dominant position and lets rip several elbows, attacking with one final onslaught of strikes in hopes of stealing the round or maybe even taking Pennington out. The final horn sounds before she can get the stoppage, and it remains in the hands of the judges. Whether she wins or loses, Esparza put in a solid performance to go out on, and she should hold her head high as she cruises into retirement…for now…?

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pennington (29-28 Pennington)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Esparza (29-28 Esparza)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Esparza (29-28 Esparza)

The Official Result

Tecia Pennington def. Carla Esparza via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Ovince St. Preux (205.5) vs. Ryan Spann (205.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Spann (-340), St. Preux (+270)

Round 1

Ahead of UFC 247 in February—before COVID—Spann (21-10, 7-5 UFC) and St. Preux (27-17, 15-12 UFC) were scheduled to throw down. “OSP” was forced out of the contest, and over four years later, the promotion elected to put it together again for UFC Fight Night 242. That too did not take as St. Preux withdrew again. Rather than set it for 2028, the UFC kicked it a month down the line to Salt Lake City. Now, these two light heavyweights will finally get to handle their business. Referee Mike Beltran takes charge for this long-anticipated grudge match between two titans of the division. There is a tap of gloves to get going, and Spann gets to work with jabs and front kicks. St. Preux keeps his hands out to swat away or parry oncoming strikes, and he gives a front kick back. Spann winds up with a particularly nasty low kick, and “OSP” answers him almost immediately. Spann gets off a low kick, and St. Preux responds with an inside leg kick that bounces up to smack the cup. Beltran calls time, and Spann takes about 25 seconds to recover. Spann surges out on the restart with a right hand that forces the elder statesman to change stances, and he finds St. Preux right to engage. St. Preux tags him with a left hand back, and Spann steels himself for a brawl. Spann winds up and unloads with a solid left, misses on the right and uncorks a bomb of a right hand that sends St. Preux spinning away. St. Preux stumbles his way to the fence, in a bad way, and Spann rushes after him and tries to tag him with a left hand. “OSP” ducks to pursue a takedown or clear his head, and this is the worst possible decision he could make. Spann latches onto a guillotine choke in an instant, using St. Preux’ single-leg attempt against him in the worst way. Spann locks up the high-elbow guillotine and uses it to lower St. Preux to his back. Spann lands in full mount, squeezing the power guillotine with all his might. St. Preux knows it is not his night, and he surrenders before he goes out from the absolutely crushing submission. This is an important win for “Superman,” who puts a tough skid in his rear-view mirror while telling the commentary booth that he is coming back with a vengeance and wants to demonstrate his “consistency.”

The Official Result

Ryan Spann def. Ovince St. Preux R1 1:35 via Submission (Guillotine Choke)

Cesar Almeida (185.5) vs. Ihor Potieria (185.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Almeida (-410), Potieria (+320)

Round 1

Fresh off his first career defeat—a decision against Roman Kopylov—Alex Pereira’s teammate Almeida (5-1, 1-1 UFC) will get back in the cage in hopes of reversing his fortunes. He greets struggling Ukrainian Potieria (20-6, 2-4 UFC), who has seen three of his last four go the wrong way. With a finish entirely possible between these two stoppage-friendly middleweights, referee Dave Seljestad is on his A-game for this encounter. The fighters do not bump fists, staying in close range early while trying to measure the other. Quick jabs and kicks come out from both fighters, with Potieria landing a solid left hand at the end of an exchange. Almeida chops down the front leg with a pair of quick strikes, and he backs away to dodge a wheel kick. Potieria lunges with a left hand, and Almeida digs a right to the ribs. Almeida tosses out a body kick and parries a few punches so he can go to the body with a hand and then a foot. Potieria connects with three punches before Almeida get away, and the Brazilian pursues more body shots with kicks and punches. Almeida jabs the body and kicks low, and Potieria jumps at him and swings wildly. While the Ukrainian tags Almeida, Almeida counters him back. Potieria pursues a single, and he lifts Almeida up but sets him down when he does not have the right angle to secure the takedown. Almeida gets away and lashes out with a head kick and a follow-up right hand that sends Potieria staggering back. Almeida goes for a few home run punches, and Potieria responds with a failed level change. Almeida continues attacking the body, and he catches a kick and goes after a takedown. When Potieria retaliates with a guillotine choke setup, Almeida bails to get back to kickboxing range, where he potshots Potieria with long punches and accurate kicks. Almeida slams his man in the leg with a kick, and he connects with a right hand to follow. Potieria wants to change levels, and he succeeds in sucking Almeida’s hips out to drag him down. Almeida wall-walks to get back to his feet, and Potieria stays tight against him until Almeida spins out. Potieria scores a right hand, attempts an elbow and gets caught with a right hand in response. Potieria sneaks in a right, blocks a right hand and dives after a takedown right at the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Almeida
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Almeida
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Almeida

Round 2

The middleweights meet in the middle to start the second stanza, and Potieria attacks first with a low kick. Almeida comes back at him with a high kick that is blocked, and he keeps jabbing with his feet. Potieria ducks a faked level change and walks into an eye poke, and he turns away even as Seljestad has not called it. Almeida walks him down and slugs him in the gut, but the punch goes low and slams into the cup. Seljestad calls this second foul, and Potieria walks away to lean on the cage and recover. Potieria blows his nose on the cage floor, and after about 75 seconds off, he is good to go. The fight resumes, and when Potieria advances, Almeida pushes off and his finger slides into the Ukrainian’s other eye socket. Potieria walks away again, upset from the numerous fouls, and Seljestad takes a moment before calling time. Potieria is not thrilled, but he takes a minute to get his bearings. The fight clocks back in, and Almeida remarkably pokes Potieria again after a body kick—that makes four in the span of two minutes, without so much as a warning, much less a merited point deduction. Seljestad does not call this one, and Potieria takes it upon himself to grit his teeth and tackle Almeida down to the mat. Almeida muscles his way upright before long, and he swings for the bleachers. Potieria takes a few punches on the chin and pursues a single, driving the kickboxer to the mat. Almeida defends with a guillotine choke, and he rolls over “The Duelist” while squeezing the life out of him. Potieria bucks and twists to get out of the submission, but Almeida is on top of him in full mount. Almeida bashes his man with an elbow, and he measures a few more heavy blows down while Potieria hangs on tight. Almeida unloads four elbows on the forehead, holding Potieria’s head down with his other hand while punching him in the face. Potieria sits up to put his face on Almeida’s chest, and he gives his back up without serious concern of a submission. Almeida tries a few one-armed rear-naked chokes as he has one hook in, and he smacks Potieria in the side of the head and rolls Potieria over to get back to mount. The round ends with some heavy punches and elbows from the Brazilian.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Almeida
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Almeida
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Almeida

Round 3

Seljestad informs Almeida between rounds to not have his fingers outstretched towards his opponent. The last round kicks off with Potieria leading the dance with a high kick and a left hand. Almeida backs him off with a thudding right hand, and a body kick answers him. Almeida pushes off and appears to jab Potieria in the eye again, and Seljestad does not call it and tells him to keep fighting. Potieria is mad, and Almeida shows that his fists were closed. Potieria swats his hand away, clearly frustrated, and Almeida wants to get the job done with haymakers. Almeida busts his man on the chops with several heavy blows, knocking Potieria’s head around, but Potieria is tough as nails and tries to clinch up. Seljestad separates them incredibly quickly—this is not a great showing for the local referee—and Almeida thanks him by cracking Potieria with a few punches. Potieria lowers his hands and attacks from odd angles, only to get driven back with a right hand behind the ear and a body kick. Potieria pushes Almeida into the clinch, and Seljestad calls for action within seconds and splits them up. This is not good. Not good at all. Almeida is glad to have the space to keep kicking, and Potieria is quick to tie him up again. Seljestad asks for activity and once more has an ultra-fast separation—we may not see Seljestad in many future UFC cards at this rate, and this is his only assignment today. Almeida loads up on full power strikes, smashing Potieria in the face and body without fear of reprisal. Potieria stuffs a takedown, bowling the Brazilian over. Without enough energy to pursue a final flurry, the mess of a fight mercifully comes to a conclusion as Potieria just hangs on. Someone in the cage is about to get a stern talking to in the next hour or two, and it will not likely be one of the competitors.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Almeida (30-27 Almeida)
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Almeida (30-27 Almeida)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Almeida (30-27 Almeida)

The Official Result

Cesar Almeida def. Ihor Potieria via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Alexander Hernandez (156) vs. Austin Hubbard (156)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Hernandez (-215), Hubbard (+170)

Round 1

When this lightweight affair concludes, one of these two fighters will lift their UFC records to .500 while the other will drift further in the wrong direction. Hoping this second stint courtesy of a finals appearance in TUF 31 will go swimmingly, Hubbard (16-7, 4-5 UFC) comes to blows with Texas native Hernandez (14-8, 6-7 UFC). There is no plan of a glove touch to the precede the action while referee Tyler Tomlinson watches on. Don’t worry, fight fans, ref Dave Seljestad is done for the night. He can’t hurt you anymore. Hubbard presses forward right out of the gate, pursuing Hernandez all across the cage after him. The two trade leg kicks until Hernandez lashes out with a right hand down the pipe. Hernandez tosses out a high kick that is blocked, and a right hand is not. Hubbard ducks down and directly into a right hand, and Hernandez keeps it going with a solid uppercut. Hubbard remains in front of Hernandez, but Hernandez is quicker and beats him to the punch. Hubbard jabs his foe in the chest with a kick, and Hernandez responds with a one-two. Hubbard slips back and tags “The Great Ape” with a left hook, backing Hernandez off. Hubbard chases, going for a single and then attacking up high with a kick. Even getting countered often, Hubbard remains right in front of the Texan, and he dings him with a step-in knee as Hernandez goes after a single. The knee busts Hernandez’ nose open, and a thin trickle of blood leak out of it. Hernandez pays it no mind and connects with a one-two, only for Hubbard to come back firing with a body kick. Hubbard misses a front kick by a whisker, and Hernandez’ body shot finds its home. Hubbard whiffs on a right hook and his front kick pushes off the chest, but the active Hernandez tags him with a few kicks and a left hand. Hubbard skims a right hand over the top, and Hernandez is there with two hooks that buckle Hubbard’s knees but do not send him down. “Thud” gathers his thoughts and has a thudding kick bounce off the guard. Hernandez rushes forward with a left hand and a one-two, and Hubbard barely bats an eye and instead attempts an axe kick. The horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez

Round 2

Striking exchanges from both men open up the round, with both fighters landing at the end of a few successful blows. Hubbard punches his way into a takedown attempt, and Hernandez rebuffs him with ease and attacks the body. They let go with hooks at the same time, and Hernandez manages to get the better of it. Hubbard continues to maintain heavy pressure, and Hernandez beats him to the punch and drops him to his hands with a straight right hand down the pipe. Hernandez clips Hubbard with a pair of punches, and Hubbard sits down on a low kick that turns “The Great Ape” around. Hubbard drops for a single, and Hernandez manages to fight it off and hop around the cage to stay upright. Hubbard strings together a few punches into a body kick, and Hernandez swats him back with a kick to the thigh. Hernandez sneaks a high kick up, and a left hand gives Hubbard some pause, but Hubbard’s durability holds up. Going after a single, Hubbard turns the corner and takes Hernandez down to his seat from behind but cannot keep him there. Hernandez bounces back up and flashes out a few jabs. Hubbard drills him with a shovel uppercut, and he goes after a takedown, misses and blasts a leaning Hernandez in the face with a crisp knee. Hernandez appears no worse for wear from the destructive blow, and he reaches Hubbard with a left hook. Hubbard slides back and lifts up a knee, and the foot bounces into Hernandez’ cup as Hernandez does not say a word. They do not take a break, instead taking turns to throw at one another. Hernandez punches his way into a double-leg takedown, and Hubbard scoots his way to the fencing to not get taken off his feet. Hubbard breaks free and further bloodies Hernandez’ nose with a left hand. Body shots are traded from the fighters, and they crack one another with right hooks to follow. Hubbard drives forward with a body kick, and Hernandez stands firm and blasts him with a left hand at the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez

Round 3

Fists fly almost immediately to start the last round, and Hernandez charges at Hubbard throwing hands and ending a string of strikes with a knee. Hubbard’s own nose is marked up from oncoming fire, but he is right in there readying himself for a firefight. When a Hubbard takedown is rebuffed once more, he is shoved back and does not eat a strike on the way out this time. Hernandez chains a body shot into two lunging punches, throwing himself off-balance while missing with the strikes. Hubbard catches him with a front kick, two clean punches and a spinning back kick, and Hernandez has to shake it off before responding. When Hernandez darts in, Hubbard has a right hand ready to pop him. Hubbard punches a few times, and Hernandez ducks and eats a knee flush. Hubbard stabs a front kick to the body, fails on a takedown and wings a right hand over the top. Hubbard’s front kick finds its home again, and they jab at the same time. Hernandez dodges a front kick to put a left hand in Hubbard’s face, and Hubbard sells out for a takedown he just cannot find. Hernandez circles around in hopes of taking Hubbard’s back during the attempt, and Hubbard stands and leans against the cage. The two split, and Hernandez connects with an elbow. Hubbard digs a knee to the breadbasket while Hernandez throws hammers, and “Thud” knocks his head around with a combo of hooks. Hubbard’s front kick lands cleanly again, and he hurts Hernandez with another short flurry. Hernandez bites down on his mouthpiece and throws back hard, and they slug it out with punches, kicks, knees and a spinning kick for good measure. The round ends as they go for broke, blood flowing out of Hernandez’ face from numerous clean connects.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hubbard (29-28 Hernandez)
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Hubbard (29-28 Hernandez)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hubbard (29-28 Hernandez)

The Official Result

Alexander Hernandez def. Austin Hubbard via Split Decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)

Iasmin Lucindo (116) vs. Marina Rodriguez (115.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lucindo (-175), Rodriguez (+145)

Round 1

Hoping to stay in the title picture, Rodriguez (17-4-2, 7-4-2 UFC) could desperately use a win. The perennial strawweight contender has fallen in the rankings considerably due to three losses in her last four outings, which leads to a pairing with up-and-comer Lucindo (16-5, 3-1 UFC). Fifteen years separate the two ladies, and referee Marc Goddard will be there to see first if that has any impact on the result. The countrywomen gladly clap hands together to get started. Rodriguez paws out with several jabs that are out of range, and Lucindo slaps her in the gut with a body kick. Rodriguez walks her down, reaching out the jab, and she dips away from a looping right hand. Lucindo dives at her leg with a flying scissor to go after a leglock, and Rodriguez steps out of it without concern. When Lucindo stands, she is punched in the face. Lucindo looks to hit her back, but Rodriguez is on top of the action landing cleaning. Rodriguez dumps her foe to the mat and walks off to let her back up, and they both loose huge right hands—Rodriguez’ is the much better of the two. Rodriguez walks through a low kick to get off a pair of punches, and she strafes away from counter fire. Lucindo scores a thumping calf kick, and she goes wide with one-two. Lucindo spins with a sudden back kick that pounds into the ribs, and she dodges a counter to fire off a one-two. Rodriguez catches Lucindo winding up with a powerful right hand on the temple, and Lucindo is wobbled and desperate to take the fight down. Lucindo manages to wrench her to the mat, and she lays flat on top in half guard to get her mind right. Rodriguez smacks her off her back, and Lucindo sits up to land an elbow and a few punches before the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez

Round 2

Gloves are touched to get going again, and Lucindo wants to keep her opponent at bay as she pitches out a front kick. Rodriguez comes up short on looping punches, and Lucindo responds with a knee up the middle. Rodrigues jabs to intercept a dashing Lucindo, staying away from the front kick that follows. They both leverage huge hooks simultaneously, and once more Rodriguez lands the cleaner of the two. Rodriguez tosses out low kicks and swings her way in, catching her with a few punches before they tie up. Lucindo has no interest in the clinch, bailing on it, and Rodriguez walks her down and measures a Superwoman punch after. They load up on big but ultimately inaccurate blows, and Lucindo finds her range with a right hand and a knee. Rodriguez punches her way into the clinch, and when Lucindo splits, Rodriguez kicks her in the solar plexus. A body lock takedown from the younger woman sweeps Rodriguez offer her feet and plants her flat on her back. Rodriguez is complacent when down, and she is warned for eye gouging when pushing off Lucindo’s face. Lucindo elbows her once before lowering herself down, and Goddard wants more than that. Lucindo postures up, and she gets pulled back down in a hurry. Rodriguez stays hanging on tight in hopes of a standup, and she gets it from Goddard. With 30 seconds to spare, they resume in the center of the cage, and Rodriguez scores a one-two down the pipe to reintroduce herself. Lucindo spins with a back kick that lands flush on the body, and they let punches fly until the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo

Round 3

The ladies start off the final round, and scores could be all over the place. Rodriguez measures her and opens up with a flurry, but not before they clash their heads together. A cut rips open on the side of her right eye, and Lucindo grips hold of her and drives her to the mat with a body lock. Rodriguez tries to grab the fence but cannot grasp it before getting put on her back. Lucindo steps into full mount like a hot knife through butter, and she grinds her head on Rodriguez’ face. Lucindo jams her chin into Rodriguez’ eye—a foul—and Goddard calls this and stands them up. Goddard issues a hard warning, as she had done this in the preceding round, and takes away her position. Rodriguez comes out like her hair is on fire, lashing out with an elbow that stings the younger woman. Rodriguez lets her hands go, further getting Lucindo’s attention, and she drives her back to the cage and strikes her in the body with her shin. Lucindo attempts to tie her up with a body lock, and Rodriguez does not falter and get taken down. Instead, she pushes away and walks her foe down, elbowing her right on the noggin. Lucindo backpedals, and Rodriguez gives chase and works her with a few more punches. Rodriguez muscles her down to the floor, and Lucindo hits her back and snatches up a heel hook. Rodriguez sits down to stack Lucindo up, but she falls to the side and is still in submission danger. Rodriguez postures up so she can lower ground-and-pound down, and she hammerfists Lucindo a few times. Lucindo uses the leglock to sweep, and she bowls Rodriguez over and climbs on top with 20 seconds to spare. Rodriguez hacks off her back with elbows, staying busier than a flailing Lucindo until the time expires.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (29-28 Rodriguez)
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (29-28 Rodriguez)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (29-28 Rodriguez)

The Official Result

Iasmin Lucindo def. Marina Rodriguez via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Joaquin Buckley (170.5) vs. Stephen Thompson (171)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Buckley (-198), Thompson (+164)

Round 1

It’s a striker’s delight to cap off the prelims, when former welterweight title challenger and famed karateka Thompson (17-7-1, 12-7-1 UFC) looks for one more W before hanging things up altogether. He will come up against a man in Buckley (19-6, 9-4 UFC) who is 11 years his junior, and loves throwing kicks just as much as “Wonderboy.” Before feet meet face, referee Mike Beltran clocks them in, and the combatants bump fists. Buckley moves directly to the center of the cage and starts pressuring the older fighter, and he is still out of range. Buckley swarms his opponent, gets caught with a right hand and lifts “Wonderboy” up with a double to slam him down. Thompson wall-walks to get up after a few seconds, and chants for “Wonderboy” boom deafeningly throughout the Delta Center. Buckley lands an elbow on the inside to break off, and when they split, Thompson kicks his man in the head. Thompson blitzes with a three-punch salvo, knocking Buckley off-balance. When Buckley gathers himself to advance, Thompson is prepared and he drills Buckley upside the head. Buckley crashes the pocket, leading with his head, and he pushes Thompson back with a flurry of fists. Thompson bounces off the fence to reset, tagging Buckley with a body kick and catching him with a right hand. Buckley responds with a single, lifting Thompson’s right leg up but not putting him down. Buckley lands a few punches on the inside before Thompson skirts away, with the karateka scoring on the break. Thompson backs off and connects with a right hand counter, and blood leaks from a cut on the corner of Buckley’s right eye. Buckley rushes at his foe to close in, getting clipped and pushing through it to surge forward and take the fight down. Thompson defends with elbows to the side of the head and fights his way back up without much effort. Buckley tries to hold him against the fence, but Thompson splits off and does not take much on the break. Buckley lunges, landing at the end of his punches, and Thompson shakes them off and is ready to counter. Buckley whiffs when leaping forward, and he gets kicked low and high. Buckley shoots desperately for a takedown, eats an uppercut to push through it, and he tries a second attempt but cannot get the former title challenger down. The horn sound with them in the clinch.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Thompson
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Buckley
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Thompson

Round 2

Thompson reintroduces himself to start off the round with long jabs. Buckley pressures, but he walks face-first into strikes. Thompson splits the guard with a front kick and just misses with an axe kick and a wheel kick, and he scoots away to bounce off the fencing. Buckley gets off a right hand, and Thompson defends by backing off, countering with his own right and setting up several elbows when Buckley shoots. Buckley cannot hold his foe against the cage, and Thompson is able to free himself and get to his preferred distance. Thompson sticks out a lead right hand and backs off, and Buckley times a takedown to take him off his feet. Thompson climbs up with the fence behind him, and he splits up and lands two punches on the break. They trade low kicks, and Buckley’s head kick is easily blocked. Thompson beats Buckley to the punch with two right hands, but Buckley sits down on a final right hand. Buckley comes up short with a high kick, and Thompson prods out a front kick as fans again cheer loudly for him. Thompson splits the guard with a right hand, and he lands a second only to get clipped on the way back. Buckley lunges and catches Thompson a second time before wrapping his hands around Thompson’s waist to wrest him to the mat. Thompson returns to a knee and pops back up, not settling for getting grounded. In the clinch, Buckley knees his man square in the groin. Thompson tells Beltran after a 15-second break he is good to go, and Beltran tells Buckley to be careful before restarting. Thompson leads off with a pair of kicks from his lead leg, and he swats out with a low kick before backing off from a Buckley blitz. Buckley whiffs on a haymaker and a cartwheel kick, and he walks into two sharp, long right hands. The fighters clack heads as they engage, and Thompson is light on his feet to counter a swarming Buckley as the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Thompson
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Buckley
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Buckley

Round 3

There is one final clap of hands to get started, and Thompson picks up where he left off potshotting. Buckley loads up on a right hand, and he gets his hands on Thompson and catches him with a left. Thompson bounces away, and Buckley goes wild, bursting his way forward throwing caution to the wind. Thompson stays composed and fires off a head kick that is barely blocked in time, and he is met by a charging Buckley. Thompson spins out of the tie-up and rests, sticking Buckley with a right hand and eating one when escaping. Thompson has two strikes blocked before a head kick zooms at him, and he puts out three punches and a body kick before Buckley can give him anything back. Thompson dings him with a right hook and puts up a high guard to defend against a similar strike, and he whips a kick up and rattles Buckley’s noodle. “New Mansa” shakes his head, and he springs forward to attack, lashing out with a right hook that misses, ducking a counter and launching a missile of a right hand that explodes square on the chin of the karateka. The destructive blow face-plants Thompson, and Beltran sprints in to get between them before Buckley can land anything else. It only took one from the highlight-reel machine, and any debate about scores is wiped clean off the map. Thompson needs a moment to compose himself, wobbly on the feet, but he comes to and gives it up for the victorious Buckley. This is a massive win for Buckley, who vaults into title contention after punching out “Wonderboy,” and he uses his time on the mic well by calling out Kamaru Usman for an eliminator matchup.

The Official Result

Joaquin Buckley def. Stephen Thompson R3 2:17 via KO (Punch)

Kayla Harrison (136) vs. Ketlen Vieira (136)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Harrison (-800), Vieira (+550)

Round 1

Even though she is currently ranked higher than her opponent, Vieira (14-3, 8-3 UFC) finds herself as a massive betting underdog at around +700 against enormous favorite Harrison (17-1, 1-0 UFC). Anything can happen in this glorious sport, and it often does. This grappling-centric affair will draw oversight from referee Marc Goddard, and the main card commences as the bantamweights touch ‘em up. Vieira flicks out a jab towards the jittery Harrison, and she gets knocked back by a left hand. Vieira reaches out with her right hand, and chants in support of her opponent rain down in the form of “USA!” Harrison does not channel this energy immediately, taking to the center of the cage and checking a low kick. Harrison kicks her to the chest, and Vieira skirts out the outer edge of the cage. Harrison tries to hit a trip, and Vieira slips away. Harrison fires off a high kick, and Vieira blocks it as the judoka stumbles. Harrison springs back to her feet and grasps Vieira around the waist, delivering knees to the body as Vieira tries to catch them fruitlessly. Harrison goes for a knee up top, and she hunts for a few trips to no avail. Harrison slams a knee in the ribs, and she uses her other to smack the Brazilian in the face with it. Goddard asks for more activity, and the audience turns on the ladies as they spend a lot of time in the clinch. Vieira tries to escape, and she blocks a knee and wings as right hand that bounces off the guard. Harrison checks another kick and parries a body kick, and she returns fire with her own kick to the stomach. Harrison sticks and moves with a low kick and one high, and Vieira swings and misses. This allows Harrison to close in on her, and she bowls Vieira over and ultimately lands in half guard. “USA” chants for Harrison rain down again, and she moves to mount and blasts Vieira in the face with an elbow. Vieira turns around to give up her back, and Harrison follows her every step of the way, battering her with elbows and punches. Vieira rides out the position under fire until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Harrison
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Harrison
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Harrison

Round 2

The ladies meet in the middle, and they lob inaccurate strikes at one another. The first one landed is a low kick from the American, and she dances out of the way of a few long right hands from Vieira. Vieira sits down on a right hand to catch Harrison on the chin, and she gets tripped out with an inside low kick. Vieira stands back up without issue, and she parries a high kick. Vieira gets off her own leg kick, and she again tags Harrison with a right on the side of the head. Vieira digs a right to the body, and Harrison punches her way into a takedown attempt where she grabs the leg and puts her hand behind the neck to throw her foe down. Vieira fights it off and resets, blocking another head kick so she can jab Harrison in the ribs. Harrison shoots for a takedown and complains of an eye poke when Vieira posted off, and Harrison signals she is fine and does not need to pause. Vieira stops two more attempts and lands a few strikes, and Harrison plants her feet to connect with a heavy leg kick. Harrison pushes in tight to the clinch, and she is warned for holding the fence. Vieira breaks away, and Harrison plows forward with a knee to the body before clinching up again. While Vieira answers with an elbow, she cannot gain any space. Vieira rings her bell with another elbow, and Harrison pushes through it to get back up close and personal with knees to the body. Vieira blasts her with another elbow, and swelling has developed above Harrison’s right eye. Harrison digs several more knees to the body, and blood trickles out of the lump on her head. Goddard asks for more action, and he splits them up with 20 seconds left in the round. Vieira kicks low, gets checked, and pushes past a head kick to throw one back. The round ends with both ladies whiffing on kicks.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Harrison

Round 3

The ladies bump fists and then bow to one another to start the round. Harrison comes out aggressively, blocking a kick and shooting in for a double. Vieira breaks out of it and lobs back a one-two that busts open Harrison’s nose, with blood flowing immediately. Harrison tries for another takedown, and that fails again. Harrison gets off an inside leg kick that disrupts Vieira’s balance, and she pursues a takedown and comes up short. Harrison checks a calf kick and goes for a takedown that is nowhere close to landing. Vieira swipes a right to the body, and her guard is high to block a head kick. Harrison crashes forward for a takedown, lifts Vieira’s leg up and cannot get her down. On Harrison’s second attempt, she succeeds in wrenching the Brazilian to the mat. Vieira tries to tug on the fencing to stop it, but she is placed on her back with Harrison raining down elbows. Vieira pushes her back, and Harrison comes back to drill her with a left hand. Harrison stays busy with ground-and-pound, and Vieira pulls her toes on the wire to get to a more advantageous position. Harrison postures up to drop down three left hands, and Vieira throws her legs up for a high guard or a triangle choke. Harrison is wise to it and continues slamming down punches, and she brings down the hammer with a few high-amplitude elbows. Harrison passes to half guard, and she slices over to mount with 45 seconds to spare. Harrison slashes down with a few elbows, and Vieira clings to her tightly. Vieira turns over, and Harrison spins with her and wrenches on her neck with a brute force crank more than a choke. Harrison swirls over to half guard when Vieira turns, and she gets pushed to her feet as the match concludes.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Harrison (29-28 Harrison)
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Harrison (29-28 Harrison)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Harrison (30-27 Harrison)

The Official Result

Kayla Harrison def. Ketlen Vieira via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Roman Dolidze (185.5) vs. Kevin Holland (185.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Holland (-162), Dolidze (+136)

Round 1

Stepping in for fellow Xtreme Couture product Chris Curtis, Dolidze (13-3, 7-3 UFC) will drop down in weight for this middleweight matchup. He stands across the cage from Holland (26-11, 1 NC; 13-8, 1 NC UFC), content to let his fists do the talking. The men that share knockout rates of 54% apiece will be joined in the cage by referee Jason Herzog. They opt to clap hands, and a front kick from Holland follows shortly thereafter. Dolidze takes the center of the cage but cannot get out of the way from two more kicks, and Holland jumps forward to reach him with a left hook around the guard. Holland slaps a pair of low kicks on the inner thigh, and he strafes around to not let Dolidze corner him. Holland’s kicks peck at the Georgian, and he chains two punches up top before landing with a leg kick. Dolidze scores a left hand, and he gets tripped up when Holland grabs hold of his kicking leg to stumble him. Dolidze resets and plods forward, and Holland uses his reach advantage to get off three punches before Dolidze hits him back. Dolidze fires back with a vengeance, and his strikes largely go wide. Holland chips at the front leg as he stays moving, and he tosses out another from the other leg. Dolidze charges like a bull, tackling Holland to the mat and putting him on his back relatively easily. Holland wraps his legs around the waist, hand-fighting to not let Dolidze hit him cleanly. Dolidze softens Holland up with ground-and-pound, landing short shots until Holland opens his guard and heel strikes the Georgian in the kidney repeatedly. The crowd turns on the ground fighting, and the fighters do little different to change their strategies. Holland goes back and forth between a body lock off his back and striking with his heel, and Dolidze is happy to slug away. Holland rolls for an armbar, and he rolls over and something awkward happens as Holland appears to be injured or compromised. Holland keeps moving, and he turns to his back as Dolidze climbs into full mount. Herzog asks for more activity, and Holland starts talking trash to Dolidze while Dolidze is busting him in the face with elbows and powerful punches. The horn sounds, and Holland stands up and points to his rib. Holland goes back to his corner, and he tells his team that he is struggling and does not want to quit. Holland’s corner asks him repeatedly if he can keep going. Holland’s coach, Kru Bob Perez, decides that Holland needs to be saved from himself to fight another day and calls the fight off. Meanwhile, the victorious Dolidze is awarded his jiu-jitsu black belt for the technical knockout victory.

The Official Result

Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland R1 5:00 via TKO (Corner Stoppage)

Jose Aldo (136) vs. Mario Bautista (136)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Bautista (-155), Aldo (+130)

Round 1

Once dumped unceremoniously on the prelims, cooler heads have prevailed as “The King of Rio” Aldo (32-8, 14-7 UFC) is now positioned firmly on the main card of UFC 307. While the beloved former featherweight king was previously ready to say farewell to the sport, he appears reinvigorated and in as great of condition as ever. The promotion opted to match him against fellow striker Bautista (14-2, 8-2 UFC), in what may turn out to be a battle of leg kicks. Referee Mike Beltran will preside over the bantamweights, and he watches on as they tap their fists together to say hello. Bautista is the first to land a leg kick, and he punches his way into close range. Aldo blocks a head kick and kicks the lead leg back, and he allows Bautista to buzz past him and lets go with another one of his patented low kicks. Bautista splits the guard with a right hand, and he strings a few punches together to the body before shooting in for a takedown. Aldo places his back against the cage, stifling any hopes of a takedown, and they trade knees on the inside. Bautista irritates Aldo with a number of shoulder strikes, dirty boxing his opponent and kneeing him anywhere he can find a target. Beltran asks for more activity than short strikes, and Bautista changes levels but is stuffed again. A third effort similarly falls short. Aldo looks to his corner for ideas on how to escape, and Beltran is almost ready to get involved. Bautista slashes with an elbow and scores several more knees until Aldo has had enough and he escapes. Bautista scores a knee but is met with a low kick, and he jumps forward to strike and gets Aldo’s attention. Aldo springs away, and he has a left hand brush past his face and steels himself to stop a takedown. Bautista gets back into the clinch, where he stomps on Aldo’s toes and makes it grindy. Beltran tells them to work to finish, and Aldo shoves him away. Aldo walks him down and misses with a left hook, but he snaps out two jabs and a short punch combo. Aldo blocks the counters and reaches out with a left hand, and he gets knocked back when committing to a low kick. Aldo nails Bautista with an overhand right hand, and Bautista tries to pay him back with one immediately. Bautista kicks the former champ in the ribs and dances away from a one-two to peck at Aldo. “The King of Rio” knocks Bautista back a few steps with a combination of punches, and he ducks a whizzing foot to end the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bautista
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Bautista
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Bautista

Round 2

Fists are bumped to open the second stanza, and Aldo is ready for an advancing Bautista and lifts a knee preemptively. Bautista reaches him with a few distance strikes, and he dips down with a left and a right. A few snapping jabs shred a cut open on Bautista’s right eye, and Bautista’s head gets snapped back. Aldo tags him with a few left hands and a powerful knee, the latter landing when Bautista shot for a takedown. Aldo scores a left, and Bautista gets back going again and lines up long punches down the pipe. Aldo comes up short with another intercepting elbow, and he catches Bautista with a left and a right. Bautista walks him down and into a few more blows, and they land punches at the same time. Aldo drops his hands, and Bautista shoots for a takedown. Aldo keeps himself upright and absorbs several shoulder strikes and short blows from his opponent with his back to the cage. Beltran calls for Bautista to do more, and Bautista answers with a thumping shoulder strike and a level change. Aldo stops the second from succeeding, and he is met with a few more shoulder shots before splitting. Aldo tags Bautista with a knee, and when Bautista pays him back, Aldo gets angry. Unleashing massive power, Aldo lets his hands go, and he knocks Bautista around but cannot stun him. Bautista gets behind a jab, stabbing out his strikes until diving after a single. Aldo’s takedown defense is immaculate thus far, but he gets leaned on by the younger, more energetic fighter. Bautista lifts a leg up to try to ground him, and Aldo hops around to keep his balance before shoving Bautista away. Aldo unleashes a fury of four punches, and when going for more, Bautista surprises him with a jump knee. Aldo swings hard and misses, allowing Bautista to try and fail with one more takedown before the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Aldo
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Aldo
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Aldo

Round 3

Reaching the final frame, the bantamweights meet in the middle for a glove touch and a brief embrace. Aldo is still throwing heat, however, and he winds up with a right hand that comes up short. He pops out his jab a few times to follow, snapping Bautista’s head back when entering. Bautista jabs him back, and his high kick slides off the shoulder. Bautista scores a one-two, and Aldo peppers him with jabs and an overhand right. Bautista pokes out with jabs and a low kick, and Aldo’s strikes are far more impactful as Bautista reacts nearly every time he absorbs a blow. Bautista pressures forward and walks into a left hook, and he wings a right hand over the top to reply. Aldo digs a left to the body and is met with a charging takedown that pushes Aldo to the fence but no further. The Brazilian does not budge, fighting off a subsequent trip and otherwise being shoved against the fence. Bautista nearly disrupts Aldo’s balance and drags him to a knee, but Aldo pops back up as if his seat was on fire. Bautista doggedly pursues the takedown as Beltran calls for activity, and before long, there is a separation. Bautista immediately charges in for a double, and the crowd is not thrilled. Beltran does not wait long before telling Bautista to improve their position, and he nearly breaks them up but Aldo manages to do it for him. Aldo bursts into action, swinging with bad intentions and knocking Bautista back. Bautista tries to tie him up, and he drops low for a single to take the wind out of Aldo’s sails. Aldo lands two punches, catches Bautista mid-air with another and then knees his man in the gut as the final horn blares. It could go either way.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Aldo (29-28 Aldo)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Bautista (29-28 Bautista)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Aldo (29-28 Aldo)

The Official Result

Mario Bautista def. Jose Aldo via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title Fight:
Raquel Pennington (135) vs. Julianna Pena (134.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Pennington (-162), Pena (+136)

Round 1

A grudge that started brewing in 2013 will finally receive its time in the sun when bantamweight champion Pennington (16-8, 13-5 UFC) looks for her first title defense after claiming the vacant strap in January. Amped up by wife Tecia Pennington getting it done earlier, she plans on shutting up ex-champ Pena (11-5, 7-3 UFC). The women with plenty of wrestling reps between them do not touch gloves, as things have turned frosty. Referee Jason Herzog will make sure nothing goes awry. Pennington measures her range early with a pair of jabs, and a third she steps into. Pena jabs her back, and when she takes a few jabs in response, she reaches her target with a right hook. Pennington flicks out double jabs again, and she knocks Pena off-balance with a solid left hand. Pena comes back with a right hand, and she walks into a sharp jab. Pennington pushes out a front kick, and the two battle with jabs flying. Pena sneaks in a right hand as they trade the single strikes, and she puts together a one-two to follow. They take turns to engage, neither committing to anything of note or opening themselves up to mistake. Pennington puts four jabs together and swats away return fire. Her double jabs give Pena issues, sticking her foe with a right hand and scooting away when Pena bites down on her mouthpiece to give strikes back. Pennington dings the challenger with an uppercut, and she blitzes forward as Pena retreats and slips. Pennington jabs are more effective than Pena’s, and she mixes in a leg kick that buckles Pena’s knees. Pena tosses out a one-two, and the jabs have reddened her nose. Another heavy leg kick finds its home on Pena’s lead wheel, and they paw out jabs. Pena surges into action, missing with her swinging fists but resetting to nail Pennington with an overhand right. Pennington slips a punch to score a right, slings a body kick and gets countered at the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pennington
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pennington
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pennington

Round 2

Pennington picks up where she left off with double jabs flying, and Pena is stuck hitting air as she tries to counter over the top. One such counter does find the mark, but Pennington is immediately back in her face with higher volume. Pennington scores a right hand that makes Pena take a few steps back, and Pena gathers her thoughts and comes out firing with a right hook. Pennington jabs the body with a kick, and she slips a punch by dropping low and punching high. The two clinch up thanks to their sheer momentum clashing together, and Pennington knees her foe in the belly twice. Pena takes advantage of the second knee by using a body lock to take Pennington down, planting her on her back and landing in side control. A knot forms above Pennington’s left eye, and Pena settles for control rather than much offense. A stalemate ensues with Pena clinging on top, and there is no submission to be had while Pennington bucks and moves. Pena opts not to advance position, while Pennington is stuck flat on her back without answers. Pena stays in north-south position, landing short punches until Pennington muscles back to her feet. Pena clings to her and tries to drag her down to the floor, and she jumps on the champ’s back and fastens a body triangle around the waist. Pennington walks over to the wall and leans on it, trying to scrape Pena off. Pena hangs on by hooking her toes in the cage, and she starts slipping off the back as Pennington punches her repeatedly behind the head. Pena hangs on, possibly considering a standing arm-triangle choke, but time expires before it goes anywhere.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pena
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pena
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pena

Round 3

Pennington reintroduces herself with a triple jab, and she kicks the body when backing away. Pennington slaps a kick in the inside of the challenger’s leg, and she rushes forward directly into an elbow. Pennington has to shake it off, and her nose starts to leak crimson fluid. Pennington gets right back to fighting behind her jab, and Pena does the same. Pena finds own range with distance strikes, and Pennington clips her with a left hook coming in. Pennington winds up on power punches, catching Pena with an uppercut but largely coming up short on the rest. Pennington kicks high, disrupting a swinging Pena. Pena gathers herself to put a one-two down the pipe, but Pennington is right there in her face countering. Pena lands at the end of another one-two and a swiping left hook, and Pennington returns fire with a lead hook. Pena times a dipping Pennington with an uppercut, and she grabs hold of the champion and uses the body lock to put Pennington down on her back. Pena opens up with a few hammerfists before settling down in side control. After a lull in the action, Pennington scrambles, and Pena grips hold of her foe’s ankle to keep control of her. Pennington keeps moving, and Pena snakes around to take her back and get hold of a body triangle. Pena softens the champ up with punches until slithering her right arm on the chin, and she squeezes the rear-naked choke grip tight on the jaw. Pennington toughs out the face crank by hand-fighting her way to freedom, and she holds on until the bell rings.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pena
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pena
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pena

Round 4

The ladies reach the championship rounds, and jabs are where they start off. Pena leans to the side, and Pennington boots her upside the head. Pena staggers back, and when she tries to retaliate, Pennington hammers her front leg with a kick. Pennington appears to have a fire lit in her belly, as she is swinging harder and landing cleaner. Pena jabs her back, but when she stands firm throwing back, Pennington nails her once more with a calf kick. Pena does not like the strike, but she is not doing anything to thwart it. Pennington jabs her way into a combination, and Pena whiffs on a big right hand to pay her back. Pennington sticks her foe with a straight left, and she ducks down and absorbs a right hand on the temple. They jab at the same time, and the blood starts to flow again from the champ’s beak. Pennington pays it no mind as she wades forward fearlessly throwing hands. Pennington goes for a right to the body, and Pena is in full headhunter mode with jabs and follow-up right hands. Pennington snaps the head back with a right hook, and she dodges the counters and walks Pena down. Pennington’s one-two finds its home, and she chambers and fires a massive right hand that puts Pena on her seat. Pennington leaps on top, latching onto a power guillotine choke that Pena uses to stand back up. Pennington abandons the submission when there is nothing to it, and Pena tries for trips but falls short. Pennington breaks free of the clinch, and she stalks down “The Venezuelan Vixen,” who may not be fully recovered. Pennington stays in her foe’s face with jabs, and a left hook nicks the chin. Pena gets knocked back by additional strikes, and her counters are feeble and flailing and do not keep Pennington away. Pennington swings hard with a few more punches until the bell sounds, and it could be all tied up.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pennington
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pennington
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pennington

Round 5

In the final frame, the bantamweights meet in the middle and clap hands one last time. They proceed to strike it out, with long jabs and follow-up strikes for both. Pennington’s are the more accurate and effective, as the clean ones draw reactions out of her opponent. Pena inches her way forward, staying behind her jab, and Pennington triples up on a jab back at her. Pennington gets in a check left hook when Pena tries to let her hands go, and Pena gathers her thoughts and retaliates with a right hand. Pennington’s jabs bounce off the guard and forehead, and she lands cleanly with a right and gets knocked back with a counter. Pennington’s strikes have more pop on them, but Pena is standing form and looks for a clinch when Pennington gets in close. Pennington drives her to the wall, and her corner screams at her to disengage. Pennington changes her mind and breaks off, and she smacks Pena with punch combinations. Pena winds up recklessly with a right hand, and Pennington ties her up again before abandoning it. Pennington probes out jabs, and her leaping two hooks fall short. Pennington times a right hand as Pena is engaging, and Pena stumbles back to the wall. Pena tries to keep a poker face but she is hurt badly, and Pennington swarms her and breaks her down. Pena unloads with big power strikes, but Pennington no-sells them and plods after her, hellbent for leather. Pena gets popped with another right hand on the temple, and she is uneven on her footing and trying to escape. Another clean right hand from Pennington is met by a Pena counter, but the pop is firmly off Pena’s strikes at this point with about 25 seconds left. Pena tries to lift up a knee, and Pennington brushes past it and into a few jabs. Pennington cracks the challenger with a right hook, and she doubles up on a jab to fire off one more big right hand before the bell. The two fight to the bitter end, and scores could vary. The winner will definitely have her hands full with Kayla Harrison.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pennington (48-47 Pennington)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pennington (48-47 Pennington)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pennington (48-47 Pennington)

The Official Result

Julianna Pena def. Raquel Pennington via Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)

UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight:
Alex Pereira (205) vs. Khalil Rountree (205)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Pereira (-535), Rountree (+400)

Round 1

Possibly not the fight that fans wanted, the UFC has put Pereira (11-2, 8-1 UFC) in another headlining spot as he plans on defending his light heavyweight throne for the third time this year. While Rountree (13-5, 1 NC; 9-5, 1 NC UFC) has won five in a row, with four of those by knockout, he did recently fail a post-fight drug test and was still elevated to a championship opportunity. “Poatan” does not care, as he seeks to crush, maim and destroy any challenger standing before him. Referee Marc Goddard dons his proverbial hard hat and hopes to stay away from any errant blows, although he is relieved when the strikers come together and respectfully tap their gloves together to demonstrate sportsmanship. It’s on with the show. Pereira lashes out with a front kick to introduce himself, and it brushes past Rountree’s face as he grabs hold of it and hurls Pereira down to a knee. Rountree lets him up and backs off, and he lunges in with a right hand but pulls back when he is out of range. Pereira goes high with a kick that is blocked, and he parries a left hook. Rountree reaches the target with a left hand, and he sticks the champ with a one-two. Rountree again lands a long left hand, and Pereira smacks him with a front-leg calf kick. Rountree shuts up chants of “Chama” by launching strikes at his opponent, catching the favorite before he can block them. Pereira counters a strike with a right hand down the pipe, and Rountree is no worse for wear and throws back with a left. Pereira hacks at the front leg, keeping his hands up to block jabs or power strikes. When Pereira kicks high, Rountree charges through them but does not quite have his range nailed down. Pereira backs him up against the wall, but Rountree escapes before absorbing anything. They both land single shots, and Pereira smacks him upside the head with a kick. The calf kick that follows is more effective for the champ, and he hand-fights jabs but gets caught with a lunging left hand. Rountree gets to him with another left, and he dances away from a head kick and a leg kick that follows. Rountree misses a left hand by an inch, and he blocks a high kick and tries to sweep the leg. Rountree gets a right hand in on the champion, and Pereira jabs him back away. Rountree blitzes forward with three punches, and Pereira darts away but still eats one or two. Pereira comes out firing, and Rountree ducks away to get out of harm’s way. Rountree wings a right hand over the top, and a leg kick irritates him in response. Rountree takes two strong jabs and steels himself to loose a right hand, and he circles away as the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rountree
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pereira
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rountree

Round 2

Pereira is eager to get going again, and Goddard has to back him up before clocking them in again. Rountree gives him back a few blitzes to think about, but none of them land cleanly. Pereira kicks low and then high, and Rountree comes up hitting air on the counter. Rountree counters a body kick with a right hand, and he swats out a pair of hooks that make Pereira back off but for a moment. “Poatan” clips the challenger with a right hand, and he gets in a left hook to further wobble Rountree’s knees. Rountree gathers his thoughts and struggles with a low kick, and the punches split open the bridge of his nose. Pereira goes after another calf kick but is shy of his intended target, and his jab further bloodies the nose. Pereira jabs the body with his toes extended, and he lowers his hands to encourage Rountree to come at him. Rountree checks a kick and jabs to the body, but Pereira is walking him down fearlessly. The Brazilian jabs his way into a strike, and Rountree clips him behind the ear but absorbs a hard calf kick. They trade jabs in their alternating stances, and Rountree comes up short with his big left hook. Rountree again tries to connect with a right hook, and Pereira lashes out with a head kick. Rountree sees it coming, allows Pereira to plant and bashes him in the face with a right hand. Pereira drops to a knee and is staggered, his bell rung, and he stands to spin around and shake it off in a hurry. Pereira recovers quickly, as he is right in front of the challenger plugging him with jab after jab. Three punches from Rountree manage to get through, and the crowd starts to get behind him as they chant “USA.” Pereira tosses out a right hand, and he gets drilled with a head kick as the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rountree
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rountree
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pereira

Round 3

“Poatan” crowds the challenger the second Goddard clocks them in, moving forward with purpose. He does not throw more than a single jab early, until he goes after a right hand and gets his head snapped back from a powerful left hook from “The War Horse.” Rountree lands cleanly to the body, and Pereira has to take a moment to reset as he reacts strangely to the blow while bounding off the fence. Rountree wings a right hand to the body, and he brushes another few punches off the champ’s face. Rountree keeps his hands busy, and a left to the body finds the sternum flush. Rountree goes there again when avoiding a single right hand, and they both tag one another with hard hooks. When Pereira gets in two jabs, Rountree answers with two hooks and a body shot. Pereira has a low kick checked, but two more find their home as Rountree thinks about changing stances as a limp slowly develops. When Rountree comes out swinging, Pereira intercepts with a front leg, and it nearly gives way beneath him. Rountree ducks a head kick and tags the champ with a left hook, and he goes after an inside leg kick to pay “Poatan” back for his investment in leg strikes. Rountree lands to the head and goes to the body, and he backs away. Rountree’s head kick is blocked, and Pereira tosses one back that is similarly rebounded off the guard. Rountree swipes out with a right hand, and he reaches the champ with a left as Pereira backs away. Pereira kicks him in the ribs and then steps in with a knee, and his jab snaps the head back. Rountree reacts poorly from absorbing the strikes, giving Pereira confidence. The Brazilian strides after him, finding jab after jab further damaging the nose of the challenger. They trade low kicks, and Pereira splits the guard with two punches and a knee before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pereira
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pereira
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pereira

Round 4

When the championship rounds hit, Pereira is quick to attack the front leg to further invest in disabling it. Rountree gives him a few kicks back to think about, and they trade front kicks as “Poatan” nods at him. It is the Brazilian’s kicks that are breaking through the defenses, and they open up strikes over the top as a jab from Pereira stings the challenger. Strikes from Pereira are starting to have additional, compounding impact on Rountree’s mug, and swelling is growing under Rountree’s right eye. Rountree tries to pay him back, but Pereira is in his stride, tagging Rountree with a flurry of fists. When Rountree starts to flag, Pereira pours it on, and this only excites Rountree. He might be hurt and bloodying up fast, but he is swinging for the fences and Pereira is not backing down. The eyebrow of Rountree is ripped wide open and hanging over Rountree’s eye, and Pereira is a man possessed. “Poatan” marches down the challenger, clubbing him with punishing strikes, picking them to the head and body and knocking Rountree around the cage. Rountree’s volume falls off a cliff, and his strikes are labored as he is low on energy. Pereira tags Rountree, and Rountree gathers every bit of energy left in him and throws back with the worst of intentions. Pereira walks him down like a Terminator, laying into him with ruthless punches and a few knees for good measure. Rountree unloads with hook after hook in hopes of keeping Pereira at bay, but Pereira is a man on a mission and knows the finish is around the corner. Rountree bounces weakly off the cage wall, and Pereira switches up his head shots to a few to the body while blood sprays everywhere. Seeing Rountree’s guard is wide open, “Poatan” splits it with a merciless uppercut and nearly dislodges the mouthpiece. Roasting Rountree’s ribs with a ruthless right and a mighty left, “The War Horse” folds like wet cardboard box. The spirit is willing but the flesh is bloody and wounded, and Rountree falls to a knee and is done. Goddard knows he needs to get involved before any further punishment is inflicted, and he waves things off to save Rountree from his impossible toughness. Pereira has done it, outlasting an extremely dangerous challenger that took the first two rounds. Pulling off the outstanding feat of three defenses in a calendar year, Pereira is entering rarified air as he adds to his legendary status. With options in several divisions, “Poatan” suggests that he will stay away from middleweight for the time being, hints about a possible heavyweight move and ultimately notes that he is happy as a light heavyweight. With the crowd in the palm of his hand, the Brazilian gets the thousands in attendance chanting his catchphrase of “Chama.” No matter who he fights next, we will be here it. We hope you are too.

The Official Result

Alex Pereira def. Khalil Rountree R4 4:32 via TKO (Punches)