Salt Lake City fans had quite an interesting night at UFC 307, witnessing some close fights and impressive stoppage wins. Here are all the results from the Delta Center
early prelims
Court McGee vs Tim Means (Welterweight Bout) - McGee wins via Rear-Naked Choke (R1, 3:19).
McGee opened the event with redemption after securing a submission win in the first round. It only took one takedown for The Crusher before gradually advancing to take the back of Means and submit the Wilburton fighter with a Rear-Naked Choke. With such an eye-catching victory in his home state, it will hopefully give the momentum for McGee to showcase more impressive performances.
Carla Esparza vs Tecia Pennington (Women's Strawweight Bout) - Pennington wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 20-27).
Pennington did just enough to become victorious, although fans disagreed with the judges decision and thought Esparza had won in her final fight in MMA. Despite Esparza's wrestling being a key factor in this 115-pound battle, The Tiny Tornado's striking would be a bigger factor which would sway the scorecards towards her. After redeeming a two-fight losing streak, Pennington may have the possibility of fighting for a spot in the Strawweight rankings.
Ryan Spann vs Ovince Saint Preux (Light Heavyweight Bout) - Spann wins via Guillotine Choke (R1,1:35).
Spann put on one of the best performances in his career when he secured a quick submission win over Ovince Saint Preux. Superman stunned OSP with a combination of strikes before attempting a Guillotine Choke which would end in success for the Tennessee-mixed martial artist. After a statement win in the Light Heavyweight division, Spann will aim to climb back towards the 205-pound rankings.
preliminary card
Cesar Almeida vs Ihor Potieria (Middleweight Bout) - Almeida wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Almeida returned to winning ways when he earned a convincing unanimous decision win at UFC 307. Cesinha was close to submitting Potieria with a Guillotine Choke which had the crowd in shock, but the submission attempt would be unsuccessful and the fight would go to the judges scorecards. With his second win in the UFC, Almeida will try to begin a winning streak and seem more of a threat in the Middleweight division.
Austin Hubbard vs Alexander Hernandez (Lightweight Bout) - Hernandez wins via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30).
Hernandez redeemed his split decision loss at UFC Vegas 90 with a split decision win. The Great Ape landed the better punches in the exchanges with Hubbard and even had a wild brawl at the end of the third round to get an exciting reaction from the fans. Hernandez will aim to begin a winning streak for the first time since the beginning of his UFC career six years ago.
Marina Rodriguez vs Iasmin Lucindo (Women's Strawweight Bout) - Lucindo wins via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Lucindo boosts up the Strawweight rankings after an extremely close fight with her fellow Brazilian opponent. Despite landing some interesting strikes in the fight, the Fortaleza-born fighter won the majority of her bout with her grappling as it proved to be a problem for Rodriguez. Lucindo has a fantastic opportunity to be one or two fights away before entering title contention.
Stephen Thompson vs Joaquin Buckley (Welterweight Bout) - Buckley wins via KO (R3, 2:17).
Buckley became the second fighter to knockout Thompson in MMA, shocking every Salt Lake City fan in the Delta Center. New Mansa began to wrestle with Wonderboy in the first two rounds, but was not having much luck due his opponent's defence, so the striking would pay off in the third round when Buckley landed a powerful right-hand punch, leaving Thompson on the ground. With a big statement win in the Welterweight division, Buckley will want to become a big contender in his next bout against a high ranked opponent.
main card
Ketlen Vieira vs Kayla Harrison (Women's Bantamweight Bout) - Harrison wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Harrison has most likely booked her shot for the 135-pound title after a comfortable victory. The two-time Olympic Gold Medallist's wrestling was a big factor in the fight, however, she was not afraid to go out of her comfort zone and strike with Vieira. The #3 Bantamweight contender will move up one more spot in the rankings and will aim to soon become the new Queen of the Bantamweights.
Roman Dolidze vs Kevin Holland (Middleweight Bout) - Dolidze wins via TKO (Rib Injury) (R1, 5:00).
Dolidze began his winning streak at UFC 307, but it would end in a devastating way after Holland suffered a rib injury towards the end of the first round. The Georgian was very close to stopping the fight at the end of the first round when he positioned himself in full mount and reigned fire with punches. The #10 Middleweight contender will want to start moving up the division and become a bigger name in the organisation.
Jose Aldo vs Mario Bautista (Bantamweight Bout) - Bautista wins via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Bautista managed to succeed in a truly close fight, just doing enough to earn a decision win. Despite him not landing any takedowns out of his 10 attempts, the Nevada-born fighter made a lot of control time against the cage, but not a lot of fans would agree that's how he ended in victory as Aldo was landing the better strikes. Now on a seven-fight winning streak, Bautista will feel deserved to face a contender in the top five, which could potentially lead him towards a title shot.
Rauqel Pennington vs Julianna Pena (Women's Bantamweight Title Bout) - Pena wins via Split Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48),
In a narrowly close fight, Pena prevailed in the five-round war and became the new UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. The Venezuelan Vixen was close to submitting Pennington in the third round with a Rear-Naked Choke attempt, but she was also close to suffering defeat after being knocked down in the fourth round. Pena becomes the second fighter to become a two-time Women's 135-pound champion and looks to make a better title reign compared to her previous one.
Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree Jr (Light Heavyweight Title Bout) - Pereira wins via TKO (R4, 4:32).
Pereira once again earned another knockout win in the UFC which would prove to be the toughest as he successfully defended the 205-pound belt for a third time. Rountree Jr made quite a surprising start when he landed some quick and powerful shots to Poatan, arguably winning the first two-rounds, but due to the lack of experience in five-round bouts, Pereira would gradually come back and reign hell on The War Horse. With a lot of respect given to the title challenger, Pereira is perfectly happy to continue fighting at Light Heavyweight, but a change of circumstances at Middleweight or Heavyweight could see the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion contest at a different weight class.
Performance of the Night bonuses:
- Joaquin Buckley
- Ryan Spann
Fight of the Night bonus:
- Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree Jr
Written by Charlie Oxtoby
Instagram: charlie_oxtoby
MMA Instagram: undisputed._.mma
Twitter: Charlie_Oxtoby1
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