Co-Main Event Spotlight | UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr. (2024)

Salt Lake City has been home to some epic moments. Last year, the BMF title was on the line between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje and it did not disappoint. This year is no different as a championship doubleheader headlines UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr.

Bantamweight gold is on the line in the co-main event, as champion Raquel Pennington to looks to secure her first successful title defense against former champion Julianna Peña. Let’s take a closer look at this 135-pound matchup.

Raquel Pennington

Earlier this year, “Rocky” became the undisputed champion of the world after putting on a dominant performance over Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297 in Toronto. The 36-year-old also competed on season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter, the same season as Peña.

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Heading into her matchup against Peña, she is riding a six-fight win streak, defeating the likes of Ketlen Vieira, Aspen Ladd, Macy Chiasson and Pannie Kianzad. It was a long time coming for Pennington, who made her debut in 2013, and had her first crack at gold when she faced former bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes, but was unable to get the job done.

With an overall record of 16-9, Pennington has four wins by submission and one by knockout. She has the most fights in the women’s bantamweight division with 17 and has the second-most wins in the division with 12, behind Nunes, so she could tie Nunes with a win this weekend. The Colorado native has been shown to have some power behind her hands, as she holds the record for most significant strikes landed with 1,056.

Julianna Peña

Peña returns to the Octagon for the first time in two years, after an injury kept her on the sidelines. She is on the hunt to become a two-time champion after pulling off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, submitting Nunes at UFC 269 in December 2021. The two ran it back in Dallas at UFC 277, where Nunes defeated Peña by unanimous decision. The trilogy was set to be concluded in Vancouver last year, but Peña had to withdraw due to injury.

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Despite being on the same season of The Ultimate Fighter as Pennington, the 35-year-old doesn’t have as many fights inside the Octagon, only having 10. She was the season 18 winner of the show, stopping Jessica Rakoczy in the first round. After that fight, she went on to rattle off three more wins before being submitted by Valentina Shevchenko.

“The Venezuelan Vixen” is a threat in all areas of the fight, finishing all but three of her wins. Six of her 12 wins have come by submission and three of them by knockout.

Meeting In The Middle

Despite competing on the same season of TUF, these two have never crossed paths. Now they get to do so at a time where the stakes have never been higher, and it feels like this fight has been a long time coming with a lot of tension between them. Since Pennington won the belt, she has been calling on Peña and vice versa.

MORE UFC 307: Fight By Fight Preview | Coach Conversation: Pereira vs Rountree Jr. | Fighters On The Rise

On paper, the two bantamweights match up fairly the same. Pennington stands at 5’7” while Peña comes in one inch shorter but has a slight two-inch reach advantage. Both athletes have an orthodox stance.

It’s no secret that Pennington’s boxing is where she shines. It was on full display against Bueno Silva, and it continued to get better as the fight progressed. She has a 52 percent significant strike accuracy, compared to Peña’s 47.9 percent. However, Peña might find more success on the ground if she gets there. Despite having a higher takedown accuracy at 55.2 percent, Pennington has been able to defend them and has a takedown defense of 63.9 percent.

Will Pennington secure her first successful title defense, or will Peña become a two-time bantamweight champion and begin her reign once again?

UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr., took place live from Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 5, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!

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Raquel Pennington

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Co-Main Event Spotlight | UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr. (2024)
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