Preview The Key Matchups On UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr. Using Stats

(All stats according to UFC’s Record Book as of October 2, 2024, and only include active athletes in their respective division unless noted otherwise)Main Event: Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree Jr.

Alex Pereira

Key Stats: 63.8% significant strike accuracy (4th all-time), 9:39 average fight time, 5.23 strikes landed per minute

What It Means: “Poatan” is not only an intimidatingly powerful knockout artist who plods forward throwing bombs. He is a kickboxing savant who just happens to have breathtaking power, including his nuke of a left hook. Pereira sets up all his attacks and likes to pepper his opponent’s lead leg with his sneaky low kick. He is most dangerous when he starts to pressure forward and pin his opponent along the Octagon, and he does a good job of cutting off the cage. On the back foot, however, he has a slick uppercut-hook combination he likes to pull his foe into as they advance.

Khalil Rountree Jr.

Key Stats: 7 KO/TKO wins (3rd all-time among LHW), 1.66 knockdowns per 15 minutes (4th all-time among LHW), 7:50 average fight time (tied 10th shortest)

What It Means: Rountree Jr. is a slick, brutal and lethal striker who can kind of alternate between modes of attack. Often, he starts with poking, prodding shots to find his range and timing. Once he gets that — whether it is through low kicks or straight punches — and sits down on his strikes, he has a frightening whip to his strikes that have devastating impact. His finishing instincts are sharp, and few land follow-up shots with more impact.

What to Look For in the Fight: Pereira will have the ability to keep Rountree on the outside due to his size and power, but Rountree is also happy to sit down on a shot and counter. Therefore, the exchanges in the pocket should be a sight to see. Rountree is probably the quicker man, as well, so he could utilize volume and changes of pace to open Pereira up as the Brazilian tries to find windows for his own strikes.

Co-Main Event: Raquel Pennington vs Julianna Peña

Raquel Pennington

Key Stats: 12 wins (2nd all-time among WBW), 52% significant strike accuracy (7th all-time among WBW), 60.3% significant strike defense (3rd all-time among WBW)

Raquel Pennington punches Mayra Bueno Silva of Brazil in a UFC bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena on January 20, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

What It Means: Pennington is a rock-solid, well-rounded fighter who seems to improve with each fight, especially when she can find her confidence quickly in the Octagon. Her boxing is probably her best attribute. She stays defensively sound before throwing good, reactionary volume inside the pocket. When things get close, she shows good physical strength and craftiness in the clinch and along the Octagon fence.

Julianna Peña

Key Stats: 4 finishes (tied 3rd all-time among WBW), 55.2% takedown accuracy (5th all-time among WBW), +0.86 striking differential (8th all-time among WBW)

What It Means: Peña is a tough, gritty fighter who isn’t afraid to make a scrap of things, but she likes to start a fight utilizing her long punches and pace. She can mix things up well and make the fight a dirty affair in the clinch or on the ground, and if she can utilize her pressure, she is the most effective on the front foot.

What to Look For in the Fight: This fight feels like one that has been building for the last decade, and the respectful tension between the two is only ratcheted up with the stakes at hand. Pennington will want to get inside to press the action, minimize Peña’s length and keep her from dictating the pace too much. Meanwhile, Peña will have chances to use her physicality more and more if the fight gets into the deeper rounds.

Other Fights to Watch (Ketlen Vieira vs Kayla Harrison, Stephen Thompson vs Joaquin Buckley)

Ketlen Vieira

Key Stats: 92.9% takedown defense (4th all-time), 44.7% takedown accuracy (9th all-time among WBW), 38:04 control time (4th all-time among WBW)

What It Means: Vieira is an all-action fighter who thrives in pushing the action and moving forward. She throws almost everything heavy and has good power because of it. Because Vieira has such ability and confidence in her grappling, she can often throw without worry of getting into a clinch situation because she often has the physical and technical advantages there.

*Kayla Harrison

Key Stats: 4.42 takedowns averaged per 15 minutes, 40% takedown accuracy, 7.52 strikes landed per minute

What It Means: Harrison is, quite simply, a beast in the Octagon. While her striking is consistently improving, she really shines once she gets her hands on her opponent. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has myriad takedowns in her arsenal, but her judo is naturally her strength. Whenever she gets on top, Harrison has good patience, strength and technique in dishing out ground-and-pound, as well as finding her path to a submission.

What to Look For in the Fight: This is a fascinating matchup in Harrison’s second trip to the Octagon. To date, Harrison has usually been the bigger and stronger fighter with superior s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s in the clinch. However, on paper, Vieira has all the tools to match. If it comes to the striking, Vieira is probably a little smoother on the feet, but Harrison has a great ability to catch strikes to initiate grappling or throwing her own flurry to get closer to her opponent.

Stephen Thompson

Key Stats: 8 total fight night bonuses (tied 3rd all-time among WW), 10 knockdowns landed (tied 4th all-time among WW), 1,202 significant strikes landed (7th all-time among WW)

Stephen Thompson punches Kevin Holland in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Amway Center on December 03, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

What It Means: “Wonderboy” is famous for his karate-based style. His ability to manage range and move in all directions out of his bladed stance makes for a difficult puzzle for most mixed martial artists to figure out, and that’s not even getting into his ability to set traps and uncork strikes from sharp angles. He tends to throw his left leg a little more, either as a push kick when he stands orthodox or as his heavy rear weapon. If he can get an opponent to chase him, he’s in his comfort zone.

Joaquin Buckley

Key Stats: 10:13 average fight time, 4.25 strikes landed per minute, 44% takedown accuracy

What It Means: Buckley has a brawler’s heart with a technical kickboxer’s s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁set, which continues to get sharper and more methodical each time he steps into the Octagon. His footwork is dynamic and explosive, and he likes to move laterally while throwing punches and covering distance. His kicks come quick, as well, and although he is often the shorter fighter, his reach, combined with his explosiveness, makes his range a little more difficult to track for opponents.

What to Look For in the Fight: The “Wonderboy” puzzle is a mystery for many, but Buckley does present an athleticism and grit that should give him more than a few opportunities to hit Thompson with a fight-changing shot. However, Buckley has also shown an ability to switch things up and get a takedown when he needs one, and that might come into play here if he cannot corral Thompson. For Thompson, keeping Buckley at bay with his footwork and distance-managing kicks could allow him to set up his own knockout shot.