5 undercard fighters who could steal the show at UFC 307: Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr
Next weekend the UFC will visit Salt Lake City, Utah. The pay-per-view that the promotion will present looks like a good one.
UFC 307: Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr not only features two title fights, but it also has a surprisingly deep undercard with plenty of major stars in action.
Could some of these stars steal the show in Salt Lake City? Absolutely, if they can perform to their best.
Here are five undercard fighters who could steal the show at UFC 307: Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
#5. Cesar Almeida - UFC middleweight contender
Ever since Alex Pereira exploded to fame in the UFC, a number of kickboxing crossovers have followed him to the promotion.
One such fighter is middleweight Cesar Almeida, who actually holds a win over 'Poatan' from back in 2013.
Widely considered one of the best kickboxers in the world as recently as 2023 by publications such as Beyond Kickboxing and Combat Press, Almeida moved into MMA in 2016.
After putting together three wins on the regional circuit, 'Cesinha' then earned a spot on the UFC roster with a win on Dana White's Contender Series.
However, while his violent knockout of Dylan Budka in his octagon debut opened his eyes, he fell to a tight defeat against Roman Kopylov in June.
That loss showed Almeida still has work to do if he wants to replicate Pereira's success, but next weekend, he definitely has a chance to steal the show.
He's been matched with fellow striker Ihor Potieira in Salt Lake City, and while 'The Duellist' is willing to exchange with anyone, he'll probably be outgunned by 'Cesinha'.
Therefore, if the Brazilian can score a scary knockout—which is likely—he could definitely steal the show and gain a lot of his hype back.
#4. Kevin Holland - UFC middleweight contender
Few fighters on the UFC roster are capable of stealing any show they appear on, but Kevin Holland is one of them.
'The Trailblazer' is one of the most exciting fighters on the roster, period, and he's widely known for his willingness to fight anyone at any time, and for his all-offense, all-of-the-time style.
However, despite all of this, Holland hasn't quite made it to the top yet, mainly because of a number of big losses.
For the most part, these losses have seen 'The Trailblazer' held down by bigger, stronger wrestlers - something that could easily happen to him in Salt Lake City against Roman Dolidze.
Despite this, Holland's last bout did see him defeat Michal Oleksiejczuk from the bottom with an armbar, showing he is seemingly working to close this hole in his game.
If he can do that, then his ruthless finishing style could well lead him to victory over 'The Caucasian' next weekend. If he can take Dolidze out in style, he could definitely steal the show.
#3. Mario Bautista - UFC bantamweight contender
Outside of the two title bouts, the fighter with the most to gain at UFC 307 is arguably bantamweight prospect Mario Bautista.
Bautista, who is currently ranked at No.11 at 135 pounds, has yet to really break out as a star despite a run of six straight wins.
That could change in Salt Lake City. Bautista is faced with former featherweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo in what will easily be the biggest fight of his career to date.
In his five-year octagon tenure, Bautista has shown skills both standing and on the ground. He was involved in a wild shootout with Ricky Simon in his last fight, and he's submitted three opponents during his current winning run, too.
However, he's never fought someone like Aldo before. Sure, the Brazilian is past his best—he was retired from 2022 until earlier this year—but he's still a very dangerous fighter in all areas, and he showed it when he beat Jonathan Martinez this year.
Therefore, while it's a long shot based on what we've seen so far, if Bautista can find a way past the former champ, he could well steal the show.
More to the point, he'd have the big win on his ledger that could push him to stardom too, something that didn't seem all that likely when he lost his octagon debut in 2019.
#2. Joaquin Buckley - UFC welterweight contender
UFC 307 is a surprisingly deep card, and a good example of this is the fact that the welterweight bout between Joaquin Buckley and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson will be featured on the preliminary portion.
Thompson has not competed in a preliminary bout since way back in 2014. However, it's not 'Wonderboy' who is worth keeping a close eye on in Salt Lake City - it's Buckley.
'New Mansa' has been on a roll since dropping to 170 pounds in 2023, and he's currently on a run of four straight wins as a welterweight. However, he has yet to beat an opponent who could push him into title contention.
'Wonderboy' is almost definitely that foe. While Thompson is past his prime now and has lost three of his last four fights, he's still hugely respected, remains a deadly striker, and is still ranked at No.9.
Despite this, Buckley will be hopeful of pulling off the biggest win of his career here. He's quick, explosive, hits very hard, and as we famously saw in 2020, he's capable of landing low-percentage shots to take out his foes.
Can he pull out something special to dispatch Thompson? It definitely won't be easy, as 'Wonderboy' is still a remarkably skilled counter-striker. If Buckley can knock him out, though, not only will he be a welterweight title contender, he could also steal the show, too.
#1. Kayla Harrison - UFC bantamweight contender
The fighter who appears best positioned to steal the show at UFC 307 next weekend is Kayla Harrison.
The bantamweight contender - who is a two-time Olympic gold medallist in judo - made an incredible octagon debut earlier this year by absolutely destroying former titleholder Holly Holm.
Nobody had ever dealt with 'The Preacher's Daughter' quite like Harrison did. Not only did the former PFL champion overpower her, but she dismantled her on the ground, looking like a monster in the process.
Many observers felt that Harrison would be given the next bantamweight title shot following her win. Instead, she'll be facing Ketlen Vieira in Salt Lake City in a title elimination fight.
Vieira is a strong fighter in her own right, but based on what we've seen of her since her debut back in 2016, it just doesn't seem likely that she'll be able to defeat Harrison.
Put simply, Harrison is a far superior athlete to 'Fenomeno', and may well destroy her as she did to Holm.
If she can do that, then not only is it likely that she'll steal the show here, but she could also become the UFC's next big female star in the process - setting her up for a title shot in 2025.