Alex Pereira will look to defend his UFC light heavyweight championship when he takes on challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City. Saturday’s main UFC 307 fight card at the Delta Center is scheduled to start at 10 p.m. ET, with Pereira and Rountree following later. The 37-year-old defending champion is ranked as the second-best pound-for-pound fighter in UFC. Rountree, 34, is ranked No. 8 in the UFC light heavyweight division. He is coming off a two-month long suspension he served from May 4 to July 4 for using a banned substance.
Pereira is a -450 favorite (risk $450 to win $100), while Rountree is priced at +350 in the UFC 307 odds. The main card also features a women’s bantamweight matchup between Raquel Pennington (-165) and Julianna Pena (+140). Before making any UFC 307 picks, be sure to see the UFC 307 predictions and best bets from SportsLine’s Daniel Vithlani.
Vithlani is a highly-analytical UFC bettor who has been a consistent winner for SportsLine members since making his debut in January 2023 with a 5-0 record for UFC 283. In fact, he’s up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks.
His other highlights include calling an upset for Sean O’Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as part of a 4-1 main card and his UFC 299 winners included underdog selections on Dustin Poirier (+190) against Benoit Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) against Kevin Holland (-130). Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Vithlani has studied Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree from every angle and revealed his top picks and best bets. You can only see Vithlani’s UFC 307 picks at SportsLine.
Pereira vs. Rountree preview
Pereira has been on a tear since making his light heavyweight debut in July 2023. After earning a split decision win over Jan Blachowicz, he knocked out Jiri Prochazka at 4:08 of the second round to win the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship and Performance of the Night at UFC 295. He then defended his title this past April with a first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill at UFC 300.
In his last bout, he knocked out Prochazka in a rematch at UFC 303 in June to defend his title and earn Performance of the Night. Pereira has compiled an 11-2 overall record, with nine wins by knockout and two by decision. He has won five of his last six bouts by knockout. He is also a former champion kickboxer, winning 33 of 40 matches, including 21 by knockout.
Rountree will be looking to win his sixth consecutive bout and win his first UFC championship. He will be making his first appearance in the Octagon since a TKO win over Anthony Smith last December. For his third-round knockout, he earned Performance of the Night at UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutierrez. The fight before that, he earned a first-round knockout win over Chris Daukaus to earn Performance of the Night at UFC on ESPN: Lique vs. dos Anjos in August 2023.
Rountree has had a lot of success since turning pro in June 2014. He won his first four bouts and seven of his first 10, which included a no contest, after his opponent had his win overturned due to his use of clomiphene. For his career, he is 13-5 with nine wins by knockout and four by decision. He has the third-most knockouts in UFC light heavyweight division history, with seven. See which fighter to pick here.
Top UFC 307 picks
One of Vithlani’s top UFC 307 picks: He is backing Kevin Holland (-155) to get past Roman Dolidze (+130) in a matchup of middleweight sluggers to kick off the main card.
“This should be an interesting middleweight matchup as both fighters have unique personalities in the Octagon,” Vithlani told SportsLine. “Holland is a long-range striker with an 81-inch reach who ikes to stay on the outside using his reach advantage, and then crash in with his snapping right hand. Holland has a strong clinch game as well, and sneaky strong Ju-Jitsu.
“Dolidze is a bruising striker who will march forward looking to land his big blow. Dolidze is also a skilled grappler, so he may look to tangle up with Holland to take away his size advantage. I see Holland battling his way out of the clinch, and out-landing Dolidze on the feet. Both fighters are durable, so I would look to bet on this fight going the distance as well.” See more UFC 307 picks at SportsLine.
How to make UFC 307 picks
Vithlani has strong picks for Pereira vs. Rountree and every other bout on the UFC 307 card. He’s also backing a fighter who is “the more technical striker” to pull off a big win. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 307, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
UFC 307 fight card, odds
Alex Pereira (-450) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (+350)
Raquel Pennington (-165) vs. Julianna Pena (+140)
Mario Bautista (-140) vs. Jose Aldo (+120)
Kayla Harrison (-1200) vs. Ketlen Vieira (+750)
Kevin Holland (-155) vs. Roman Dolidze (+130)
Joaquin Buckley (-230) vs. Stephen Thompson (+190)
Iasmin Lucindo (-180) vs. Marina Rodriguez (+150)
Cesar Almeida (-400) vs. Ihor Potieria (+310)
Alexander Hernandez (-130) vs. Austin Hubbard (+110)
Tecia Pennington (-185) vs. Carla Esparza (+155)
Ryan Spann (-260) vs. Ovince St. Preux (+210)
Tim Means (-190) vs. Court McGee (+160)
