Alex Pereira defeats Khalil Rountree Jr. via 4th round TKO at UFC 307 to retain title | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats and Rumors

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Alex Pereira remained the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion with a fourth-round TKO victory over Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of UFC 307 from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The intensity was palpable even before the fight began. Pereira did his pre-fight staredown and Rountree calmly returned the favor.

Rountree was not passed in the first frame. He did well to use his boxing to take an early lead in the fight, but Pereira was able to land early calf kicks that began to break his opponent down early in the fight.

Ben Fowlkes @benfowlkesMMA

Better first round than I expected for Rountree. But Pereira is so comfortable and has already established that calf kick while looking to set up that left hook.

The challengers’ title bid became even more serious in the second round. A head kick attempt from Poatan knocked him out of position and Rountree fired a right hand that stunned Pereira.

While Rountree’s attacks were primarily aimed at headhunting, Pereira made a conscious effort to break his opponent down with leg kicks and body shots.

Poatan began to reap the rewards of his body work and kicking in the third round. Rountree seemed hampered by calf kicks and was noticeably slower.

Kenny Florian @kennyflorian

Pereira wins the third round. Rountree now shows the effects of these leg and body shots to the lead. Things continue to get interesting in the main event. #ufc307

Once Pereira saw the openings, he relentlessly pursued the knockout. He turned up the pressure in the fourth round and drew to retain his belt.

The Brazilian continues to quickly build a resume that could place him among the greatest of all time. Poatan was a little late in his transition from kickboxing to MMA, but he made his presence felt with memorable knockouts and five victories in title fights.

Pereira burst onto the scene with his rivalry against Israel Adesanya, but his run at light heavyweight defined a legacy that will go far beyond his classic fights with The Last Stylebender.

The most recent question surrounding Pereira is whether he could become the first fighter in UFC history to win championships in three different weight divisions. The former middleweight and current light heavyweight champion has been a speculative future opponent for Jon Jones.

Unfortunately, Poatan recently threw some cold water on this idea. He met Bones and trained with him after Jones hinted that his planned title defense against Stipe Miocic could be his last.

“I was only thinking about training because Jon said his last fight might be his last fight,” Pereira said. Farah Hannoun and Ken Hathaway from MMA Junkie. “So I want to go out there and learn a little bit from him. I’m an open-minded guy and I think it will be great.”

The idea of ​​Pereira receiving advice from Jones should be terrifying for any future opponents. Jones is probably the best fighter who has ever been able to blend creative striking with dominant wrestling.

We may have to wait a bit to see if Pereira could land a title in a third division, but his reign of dominance in the light heavyweight division isn’t too bad to see either.