Big title fight with Alex Pereira is the headline at the pay-per-view in Salt Lake City

UFC 307 has a main event headliner, and it's a surprise for those who follow the promotional rankings diligently. Instead of Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1, 1 NC UFC), who holds the longest active winning streak at 205-pounds, it will be Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5, 1 NC UFC) taking on reigning light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

UFC general manager Dana White announced the news Friday morning in the War Room at UFC headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card, which is still being finalized, will take place on October 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, marking another trip for the promotion to the West Coast.

For Pereira, the fight will be his third title defense since winning the then-vacant title at UFC 295. Since then, Pereira has delivered devastating knockouts to former champions Jamahal Hill and Jiří Procházka, both victories coming in April and June, respectively.

Pereira hasn't lost since April of last year, when he rematched former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who faces current champion Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 305 on Saturday night.

Rountree was originally scheduled to compete at UFC 303 but unknowingly tested positive, briefly preventing him from returning to the Octagon. Given the current light heavyweight landscape, the UFC had little choice but to book Rountree, who is currently ranked No. 8 and is five fights undefeated since September 2021.

UFC 305: Fight odds and best bets for Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington returns to fight for her bantamweight title for the first time against former champion Julianna Peña, who is making her first Octagon appearance since losing her belt to now-retired former champion Amanda Nunes.

The rest of the UFC schedule is taking shape: There are still 15 events to go between now and December, including stops in China and Edmonton, to name a few.

UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya – Full preliminary fight predictions

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