UFC 307 media day interviews: Alex Pereira, Khalil Rountree Jr., Julianna Peña, and others [VIDEO]
The UFC 307 media day interviews are here, with fighters providing insight into their preparation and more ahead of Saturday's event.
In the headliner, Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. Another championship clash occurs in the co-main event, with Raquel Pennington mounting the first defense of her women's bantamweight belt against Julianna Peña.
With so much action come fight night, what did the fighters themselves have to say? See below for the media day interviews, via MMA Junkie.
Tecia Pennington welcomes Carla Esparza showdown
Tecia Pennington is tasked with facing Carla Esparza in the former two-time champion's retirement bout.
As Pennington says it, she is eager to face Esparza, who once accused her of PEDs in the past.
Carla Esparza will not be returning
Carla Esparza has had a storied career, being a two-time women's strawweight champion.
However, UFC 307 is her final fight, and she won't be walking back on her retirement.
Jeff Robbins opens up on the Utah Commission's efforts with UFC 307
While he is no fighter, Jeff Robbins, the head of the Utah State Athletic Commission, had much to say.
Not only was he excited to welcome the UFC back to Utah, but he also touched on his dream of regulating other monumental sports events.
Joaquin Buckley talks UFC 307 beefs
Besides his eagerness to send Stephen Thompson to Karate Combat, Joaquin Buckley spoke about resolving his issues with Daniel Cormier.
Unfortunately, he also had to diffuse the tension between him and Kevin Holland, a former opponent who is also on the card. While he has no issues with 'Trailblazer', he won't shy away from a scrap.
Stephen Thompson's dream lives on
Despite being well into the twilight years of his fighting career, Stephen Thompson has remained defiant in the face of Father Time.
'Wonderboy' is still determined to continue fighting at the highest level, regardless of being 41 years old.
Kevin Holland defends the UFC's pay structure
Kevin Holland fights often, and he believes those who don't have no right to criticize the UFC's controversial pay structure.
He scoffed at the notion that the promotion pays its fighters poorly, instead urging his fellow roster-mates to fight more often.
Roman Dolidze is eyeing personal history
Roman Dolidze is a high-level grappler, but a glimpse at his record might say otherwise. He has no submission wins in the UFC.
At UFC 307, he intends to remedy that by submitting the scrappy Kevin Holland within three rounds.
Kayla Harrison predicts dominance
Confidence doesn't begin to describe Kayla Harrison's feelings about her chances against Ketlen Vieira.
In fact, the two-time Olympic champion believes she'd beat Vieira, as well as her division's current champion and challenger in one night.
Ketlen Vieira trash-talks her rivals
Ketlen Vieira had a few things on her opponent. She dismissed Kayla Harrison's vision of dominance as nothing but delusions.
When it came to Julianna Peña though, a fire was lit under her, as she blasted 'The Venezuelan Vixen' with colorful language.
Mario Bautista welcomes a legend back
Mario Bautista hasn't lost since 2022, having authored a six-fight win streak. Yet, he remains a relative unknown to all but the hardcore fanbase.
However, he is now slated to face the legendary José Aldo, whom he is surprised to be facing. More than that, he is surprised Aldo agreed to face him.
José Aldo is back for gold
José Aldo retired from MMA not too long ago. Now, he is back in the UFC on a quest for the bantamweight title.
Mario Bautista is merely an obstacle to his objective, and the former featherweight champion intends to outclass his foe.
Julianna Peña lambasts Raquel Pennington
Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington do not like each other. They have a longtime rivalry dating back to their 'TUF' days.
Now, Peña has taken issue with more of Pennington's behavior, chiefly her lack of effort in promoting their fight.
Raquel Pennington sounds off on her rivals
Raquel Pennington has had enough of Julianna Peña, whom she dismissed in her UFC 307 media day interview.
She also took the time to promise to humble a confident Kayla Harrison once she's done with her UFC 307 obligations.
Khalil Rountree Jr. won't wrestle unless he has to
Khalil Rountree Jr. won't be shooting for takedowns on Alex Pereira, unless he's rocked and in need of recovery time.
But perhaps the most shocking part of his interview was that Sean Strickland apologized to him over his past remarks.
Alex Pereira plans a lengthy title reign
Despite previous talk of returning to middleweight and fighting at heavyweight, Alex Pereira has vowed to rack up title defenses at light heavyweight instead.
Additionally, he claims to have uncovered weaknesses in Khalil Rountree Jr., which he intends to exploit at UFC 307.