UFC 306 (Noche UFC) is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering.
The promotion was in Las Vegas last week, where the unique Sphere venue played host to a number of intriguing matchups for its latest major card in the "Fight Capital of the World." Of note were title wins for Merab Dvalishvili and Valentina Shevchenko, as well as the biggest victory to date for surging fan favorite Diego Lopes.
While the aftermath of the September 14 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the bantamweight title picture to the 205-pound championship conversation.
At UFC 307, set for the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 5, reigning light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira will compete for the third time this year, once again in defense of the gold. Following knockouts of Jamahal Hill and Jiří Procházka, "Poatan" will next face a surprise challenger in the #8-ranked Khalil Rountree.
There will also be title stakes in the co-headliner, as bantamweight queen Raquel Pennington returns for her first defense. "Rocky" is set to meet the challenge of a former champion and fellow TUF 18 competitor in Julianna Peña.
Sterling, Harrison, Holland Set The Stage For Title Headliners At UFC 307
Before Pereira and Pennington defend their belts in the "Beehive State," a number of other high-profile names will take to the Octagon looking to make the most of their position on the major card.
That includes former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who is looking to keep his ball rolling at 145 pounds following a successful divisional debut opposite Calvin Kattar earlier this year. To keep his pursuit of two-weight glory alive, "Funk Master" must blemish the perfect record of #6-ranked contender Movsar Evloev.
Prior to that, another notable name will look to stake her claim for a shot at championship glory on MMA's biggest stage as two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL title winner Kayla Harrison makes her sophomore Octagon appearance. After submitting Holly Holm on debut at UFC 300, the former judoka will look to go two for two at the expense of Ketlen Vieira in Salt Lake City.
And opening the main card will be the always entertaining Kevin Holland, whose second outing since returning to middleweight sees him matched up against top-10 competition in the form of Roman Dolidze.
Those pairings have gotten the nod to feature on the main card over a number of prominent names on the prelims, including Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, José Aldo, and Carla Esparza.
See below for the full UFC 305 card, as it stands.
Main Card:
- Alex Pereira (C) vs. Khalil Rountree (light heavyweight championship main event)
- Raquel Pennington (C) vs. Julianna Peña (women’s bantamweight championship co-main event)
- Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling (bantamweight)
- Ketlen Vieira vs. Kayla Harrison (women’s bantamweight)
- Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland (middleweight)
Preliminary Card:
- Stephen Thompson vs. Joaquin Buckley (welterweight)
- Nate Landwehr vs. Austin Hubbard (lightweight)
- Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington (women’s strawweight)
- José Aldo vs. Mario Bautista (bantamweight)
- Ryan Spann vs. Ovince Saint Preux (light heavyweight)
- Mauricio Ruffy vs. TBD (lightweight)
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo (women’s strawweight)
- Court McGee vs. Tim Means (welterweight)
- Ihor Potieria vs. Cesar Almeida (middleweight)
