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The UFC's latest pay-per-view went down last night, and it was a fascinating one. Salt Lake City played host to the event and was treated to a dominant showing in the headliner.
UFC 307: Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr saw one champion retain their title and one new champion crowned, but what is next for them?
As usual with any major event, there's plenty of work for the matchmakers to do to find the right direction. Whether they do is, as always, debatable.
For now, here are five fights to make following UFC 307: Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
#5. UFC middleweight bout: Roman Dolidze vs. Brendan Allen
Traditionally, the UFC doesn't like to match a fighter coming off a win against one coming off a loss, but at times, it's worth ignoring that unwritten rule.
One such time should be when deciding the next fight for Roman Dolidze, who overcame Kevin Holland on late notice last night.
'The Caucasian' claimed a win when Holland apparently injured his ribs in a first-round grappling exchange. However, it's unlikely that the win will see Dolidze climb any higher than his current ranking of No.10.
With that in mind, a good fight for him next could be with No.8 ranked Brendan Allen, who fell to Nassourdine Imavov last month, snapping a lengthy win streak.
A fight between Allen and Dolidze would probably be plenty of fun and would test both men handily. More to the point, Dolidze's win last night wasn't really enough to earn him any higher opportunity.
Therefore, it could be worth the matchmakers looking to book 'All In' against 'The Caucasian' in early 2025.
#4. UFC welterweight bout: Joaquin Buckley vs. Kamaru Usman
One of the most impressive showings last night came from Joaquin Buckley. He dispatched former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson with a crazy leaping right hook in the third round, earning a $50k bonus in the process.
The win moved 'New Mansa' onto a five-fight win streak since his move to 170 pounds and should be enough to push him into title contention.
Buckley also called his shot last night, asking for a fight with former titleholder Kamaru Usman next, and frankly, the UFC should give it to him.
Usman is currently on a three-fight skid, but none of his losses - two to Leon Edwards, one to Khamzat Chimaev - should carry any shame.
With that said, if 'The Nigerian Nightmare' wants to get back to a title shot in his own right, he needs to win a fight - and halting Buckley's run would definitely be a huge win right now.
Could Buckley really deal with the grappling strength of Usman? And could the former champ find a way to avoid getting caught by the explosive striking of 'New Mansa'? Both would be fair questions to ask.
Therefore, with both men looking for a win to advance their cause and both being arguably the perfect foe for the other right now, it'd be well worth booking this fight.
#3. UFC bantamweight bout: Mario Bautista vs. Marlon Vera
Mario Bautista's win over Jose Aldo was both unimpressive and huge in the same breath. Sure, that's a contradiction, but so was the fight itself, as it saw Bautista do little damage, but still manage to stall Aldo out to claim a decision.
Regardless of the questions around Bautista's game plan, it's hard to ignore him now. After all, he's won seven bouts in a row at 135 pounds.
An interesting fight for him, then, could be No.7 ranked Marlon Vera. 'Chito' is coming off back-to-back losses to Sean O'Malley and Deiveson Figueiredo, but he'd almost certainly provide Bautista with a big test.
The native of Ecuador is one of the UFC's most lethal finishers, both standing and on the ground. Therefore, it's unlikely that Bautista would be able to grind his way to a victory over such a dangerous foe without at least taking some damage.
If he could beat 'Chito', of course, then it'd be hard to deny his position as a title contender, something that his win over Aldo didn't really confirm.
Overall, then, this fight sounds like a fun bout to book for early 2025.
#2. UFC bantamweight title: Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison
In the aftermath of her bantamweight title win over Raquel Pennington, Julianna Pena was quick to call out her first challenger.
'The Venezuelan Vixen' decided to challenge former champ, the now-retired Amanda Nunes, for a potential trilogy bout.
However, in doing so, Pena painfully misread the situation at hand. Realistically, the only viable contender for her right now is Kayla Harrison.
The Olympic gold medallist and former PFL champion beat up Ketlen Vieira last night, following up her win over Holly Holm to take her UFC record to 2-0.
Nunes, meanwhile, has not fought since 2023 and has shown no interest in returning. In fact, she even commented on a verbal exchange between Pena and Harrison at Friday's press conference, describing it as "awesome".
Essentially, then, if 'The Venezuelan Vixen' attempts to avoid a fight with Harrison, it'd feel a lot like ducking, something that no UFC champion ought to be accused of.
With any luck, the decision will be out of her hands and into Dana White's. Pena vs. Harrison is the only title fight worth making at 135 pounds right now, and we should hopefully see it in early 2025.
#1. UFC light-heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev
While Khalil Rountree Jr tested him more than Jiri Prochazka or Jamahal Hill were able to, the result of last night's light-heavyweight title fight was still the same.
Alex Pereira delivered another violent finish, cementing his third successful title defense in a row. 'Poatan' is undoubtedly the fighter of 2024.
What's next for him? A move back down to middleweight seems to be off the cards now that he's training with former foe Sean Strickland.
A move up to heavyweight might be a better plan, but the truth is that the title picture there is muddy. To see Pereira jump over interim champ Tom Aspinall for a shot at Jon Jones - or Stipe Miocic - would leave more than a sour taste.
Therefore, staying at 205 pounds might be more favorable for 'Poatan' and if he does that, Magomed Ankalaev is the only opponent for him.
The Dagestani still has the most dangerous style to match up against the Brazilian, and he's still on the division's best unbeaten streak - 12 fights in a row.
Ankalaev needs to hold up his end of the bargain, of course, by beating Aleksandar Rakic later this month. If he can do that, though, then he really ought to get a shot at Pereira - even if it feels like nobody can beat 'Poatan' right now.
