Looking at the early betting lines for UFC 307, challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. isn’t being given much hope of dethroning champion Alex Pereira in their UFC lightheavyweight world title bout. Pereira is the stout -510 odds-on favorite in the UFC picks.
It’s a different story, though, in the UFC women’s bantamweight world title fight between champion Raquel Pennington and challenger Julianna Pena. Pennington is the much slighter -165 chalk.
| UFC 307 Odds | The Pick |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree Jr. | Pereira | -510 | -460 | -460 |
| Raquel Pennington vs Julianna Pena | Pennington | -165 | -160 | -165 |
In this article, SBS will be going over each fighter, offering a predicted winner in both matchups, and also providing some additional notes and information regarding UFC 307 betting.
Fighter Spotlight: Alex Pereira
Currently rated #2 in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, Pereira is the former UFC middleweight champion. He’s considered to be one of the greatest combat fighters of all-time. Pereira is the only known fighter to be a two-division world champion in MMA and kickboxing.
Pereira (11-2) moved up to the lightheavyweight division after losing his UFC middleweight world title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. He’s 4-0 as a lightheavyweight, with two successful title defenses since first becoming UFC world lightheavyweight champion in 2023. Only one of his last five bouts have been extended beyond two rounds.
Fighter Spotlight: Khalil Rountree Jr.
On the surface, Rountree’s five-fight winning streak looks impressive. He’s won four of those bouts by knockout, and three of them in the first two rounds of the fight. However, scratch below the surface and the sheen begins to fade.
Rountree (9-5-1) hasn’t fought a single top-10 fighter during his hot streak. Prior to that run, he was 4-5-1 through his first 10 UFC bouts after joining the promotion.
Prediction: Pereira is known for making short work of his opponents and that’s factoring into the over/under for this fight. Oddsmakers are setting the total at 1.5 rounds, although it’s the over that’s the -135 favorite. Pereira has won three fights in a row by first or second-round knockouts. In his most recent title defense, he defeated Jiri Prochazka by TKO at the 13-second mark of the opening round.
Oddly enough, the overmatched Rountree’s best hope for a win in this fight is the proverbial puncher’s chance. However, Pereira has only been suffering a knockout loss once in 13 UFC bouts. Take Pereira to win, or better yet, bet the over and hope that Rountree can hang on that long.
Fighter Spotlight: Raquel Pennington
When she beat Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297, it was the sixth successive victory for Pennington (16-8). The American fighter shows wins over Jessica Andrade, Miesha Tate and Jessica Andrade.
Pennington’s 12 bantamweight victories are the second-most recorded in the weight class. No woman has fought more bantamweight bouts (17) than her.
Fighter Spotlight: Julianna Pena
The first woman to win the Ultimate Fighter competition, Pena (11-5) is a former UFC world bantamweight champion who is currently ranked as the No. 1 contender in the weight class.
She shocked the promotion in 2021 by dethroning longtime champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. However, Nunes would reclaim the title in a rematch a year later at UFC 277. Injuries have plagued Pena over the past couple of years.
Prediction: Pena will be fighting for the UFC world bantamweight title for her third straight bout. This even though she’s just 3-3 over his last six fights. Striking is her strength, while grappling is Pennington’s bread and butter. Look for the champ to take the fight to the mat and ground and pound her way to a title defense via decision.
Once you have determined the path you’ll be following with each of your UFC 307 bets, you’ll want to be certain to have a look at the incredible loads of information available to you only at SBS. For more insights into all of the bouts on the card covered here, make sure to check out the UFC betting sites guide. These guides are assessing all of the latest betting lines the oddsmakers are setting on the sport and aiding you in assembling some sound UFC 307 picks.
As well, if you’re seeking out the top UFC 307 bets, be sure to have a gander at the best bonus betting sites breakdown, which accumulates an array of oustanding information, including a complete analysis of the various bonus offers available to you. Finally, for those who are busy and frequently moving locations during the day, the best betting apps rundown is a must-read page to guarantee asusrances that you get all of your UFC 307 bets down in time.
About the Author
Theo is our NFL guy. He is the go-to man for all things football and has proven himself to be one of the most expansive writers here, with a broad knowledge of North American sports. He's a veteran journalist based in Ontario, and has covered the gambling and sports betting industry since 2016. He has written more than two dozen books and covered the NFL since the early 1990s.
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