UFC 307 Mailbag: Was Alex Pereira the UFC’s greatest funding since Conor McGregor?

UFC 307 came about this previous Saturday and the promotion has one new champion, plus one rising all-time nice. Within the co-main occasion, Julianna Peña received a contentious resolution over Raquel Pennington to reclaim the bantamweight title, whereas in the primary occasion Alex Pereira added one other profitable mild heavyweight title protection to his résumé with a surprisingly enjoyable struggle in opposition to Khalil Rountree Jr.

All that plus loads extra went down this previous weekend so let’s dive in and reply your largest questions.

UFC 307, broadly

“Was this the worst Pay-Per-View of the yr?”

No, I don’t suppose so.

We did an enormous evaluation of UFC 307 already so you’ll be able to go and skim that to get not simply my thought however the remainder of the staff’s as effectively, however my emotions are mainly this: UFC 307 wasn’t the most effective card and it was positively a little bit bizarre, nevertheless it was completely ample.

Everybody desires various things from their MMA fandom and for me, what I’m most curious about are enjoyable fights with significant stakes. Properly, UFC 307 was a little bit mild on the previous, however practically each bout on the cardboard was important in a technique or one other. Two title fights, one of many six biggest fighters of all time competing, a possible future champion in a tricky scrap, a brand new welterweight contender rising, and the ultimate struggle of a two-time champion’s profession? Essential issues occurred in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, and although it wasn’t probably the most thrilling at factors, we did a minimum of get to finish with a bang.

UFC 307 received’t go down as probably the greatest occasions of the yr, nevertheless it was positively higher than UFC 297 or UFC 301, and possibly on par with UFC 298 as effectively.

Alex Pereira

“Are you able to define the alternate universe of the final couple of years is ‘Poatan’ didn’t signal with the UFC? Who saves three PPVs this yr?

The important thing takeaway from UFC 307, because it has been so many instances this yr, is that the UFC obtained a friggin’ steal after they signed Alex Pereira in 2021.

In simply three years within the firm, Pereira has fought 10 instances, is a two-division champion, has three profitable title defenses at mild heavyweight, has received six bonuses, and simply this yr alone jumped in to avoid wasting three separate PPVs. It’s an unprecedented degree of exercise and accomplishment that the UFC has wanted. Don’t get me improper, the UFC is larger than anybody fighter and can at all times be OK, however the promotion at present has a dearth of stars and Pereira has come alongside to fill the position that usually a number of fighters serve. He’s been a godsend to the UFC.

However what if that they had not signed him? I really like hypotheticals, so let’s play this out. If Pereira isn’t there to problem Israel Adesanya, both Robert Whittaker will get a 3rd crack at him or Sean Strickland will get the decision, as a result of he was by no means obliterated by Pereira. Does Strickland beat Izzy if that struggle occurs a yr earlier? Who is aware of. Totally attainable, which then results in a rematch and Whittaker can be within the combine. In the end, when all of it performs out we in all probability nonetheless find yourself with Dricus du Plessis as champ, so middleweight is analogous, even when the highway to get there’s very completely different.

Gentle heavyweight is a distinct story fully. Jiri Prochazka returns and possibly fights Jan Blachowicz or Magomed Ankalaev for the title, since Jamahal Hill is injured, nevertheless it’s not possible to know. 205 has been such a cluster the previous few years and it’s Pereira who introduced stability to the division. With out him, perhaps we’re nonetheless dwelling in anarchy, and the tentpole occasions of the UFC calendar — UFC 300 and UFC 303 — are considerably much less thrilling than we ended up getting.

Given how vital Pereira has been to the UFC over the previous few years, there’s an actual argument to be made that he’s the most effective signing the promotion has made since Conor McGregor.

Subsequent

“Who ought to Pereira struggle subsequent, legacy smart?”

Pereira seems set to take a little bit break in the meanwhile and good. Nobody deserves it extra. So provided that, there are actually solely two choices for Poatan when he comes again: heavyweight or Magomed Ankalaev.

The heavyweight choice is the one I feel most followers need. We’ve by no means had a three-division champion within the UFC and so the enchantment of that’s apparent: make historical past, stake your declare as the best to ever do it. And given what Pereira has accomplished for the corporate, it’s very attainable he will get that likelihood. Jon Jones faces Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 and all indicators level to that being the ultimate struggle of each males’s careers. Ought to that come to go, Tom Aspinall will probably be promoted to undisputed heavyweight champion and one of many greater fights the UFC might put collectively is Aspinall vs. Pereira. That is extraordinarily attainable and if Pereira wins, it’s clearly the most effective for his legacy.

The opposite choice is Ankalaev. If Ankalaev will get previous Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308, that’s the struggle that mild heavyweight calls for. A champion has duties and personally, that may be a struggle I desperately need to see. The large knock you may make about Pereira’s UFC run is that it’s been fairly cultivated to keep away from dangerous fashion matchups. Properly, Ankalaev is a kind of so if Pereira can beat him — which he completely can — that’s an enormous feather in Poatan’s cap as he tries to climb the all-time nice rankings.

After all, the most suitable choice, if he can someway pull it off, is Jon Jones. It’s exhausting to think about a world the place Jones beats Miocic after which someway avoids combating Aspinall for the heavyweight title… till you keep in mind that it is a enterprise and Jones vs. Pereira is the largest struggle the UFC can put collectively proper now that doesn’t contain Conor McGregor. There’s a non-zero likelihood Pereira could struggle Jones in 2025 and if he can swing that, that’s the one logical reply.

Khalil Rountree Jr.

“Khalil’s inventory simply went up, proper? What’s a struggle that is sensible for him?”

one hundred pc!

Everybody knew the rating coming into UFC 307: Rountree in all probability didn’t “deserve” this title shot nevertheless it’s a enjoyable stylistic matchup and Pereira ought to ship an important end. Properly, within the sobering mild of Monday morning, all of that’s true, but in addition, Rountree was way more aggressive than most thought he could be!

Rountree had the chance of a lifetime on Saturday and whereas he failed to come back away with the belt, he delivered the most effective of himself in his largest second. That’s the way you make followers and grow to be a star. From this level ahead, Rountree received’t be combating Contender Sequence signees within the APEX. He’s in principal occasions or on PPV principal playing cards. No person likes an ethical victory, however this was a reasonably darn good one.

As for who’s subsequent, Jamahal Hill appears applicable. Apart from being utterly asinine and unaware, Hill’s nonsense after UFC 307 was mainly an oblique shot at Rountree. So it’s time to knuckle up.

Rountree vs. Hill

“Would this model of Rountree have crushed Hill?

It’s exhausting to say. The factor about Hill, apart from him being exceedingly dangerous at enjoying the handfuls, is that it’s exhausting to know the way good he’s. Previous to his personal utterly undeserving title shot (actually, Hill deserved his lower than Rountree did) Hill’s UFC profession was knocking out individuals who aren’t precisely world beaters. Then he placed on a sensational efficiency in opposition to Glover Teixeira that mainly regarded nothing like his earlier fights, earlier than instantly wanting atrocious and getting obliterated by Pereira in his subsequent bout.

Is Hill the man who dummied Glover or was that his “Cody Garbrandt vs. Dominick Cruz” efficiency, having an ideal evening one time within the largest spot? Solely time will inform, and whereas if I used to be guessing I’d choose Rountree to win, largely I simply need to see the precise reply for ourselves.

Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington

“Is Julianna Peña moving into the UFC Corridor of Fame?”

Yeesh. I assume so?

On Saturday Peña grew to become the second lady to win bantamweight gold twice as she reclaimed the title in a particularly controversial break up resolution win over Raquel Pennington. How controversial you ask? Just one MMA media member didn’t give Pennington the struggle; it was me, and I scored the bout a draw.

However controversy or not, Peña is now a two-time champion and that’s fairly rarified firm. In UFC historical past, solely 18 fighters have received titles a number of instances in the identical weight class. 4 of these fighters are at present enshrined within the Corridor and 6 extra are unquestioned locks to affix them. Of the remaining eight of that checklist, nearly all of them are present fighters, and really prone to find yourself there as effectively. Principally, in the event you win a belt twice, you’re within the Corridor. Add in that Peña can be accountable for one of many largest upsets in UFC historical past and I feel that alone is sufficient to get her there in the future.

It’s a heck of an accomplishment. Now if she might solely work on her promotional talents.

Kayla Harrison

“Is the one factor that may cease Kayla the size?”

Actually? After that efficiency?

In the primary card opener, Kayla Harrison made her sophomore outing within the UFC, profitable a hard-fought resolution over Ketlen Vieira. To be frank, it was in all probability the worst struggle of Harrison’s latest profession. And that’s not due to Harrison, it’s due to Vieira.

Harrison is a drive of nature however the actuality is she’s nonetheless very, very inexperienced. The 2-time Olympic gold medalist has solely been competing in MMA for six years and on Saturday we obtained to see simply how restricted she nonetheless is. Harrison’s hanging is barely above practical at this level so if she can’t rating takedowns, the struggle may be very, very exhausting for her. It’s not exhausting to see how Harrison loses within the UFC proper now: somebody does what Vieira did, however higher.

That being stated, there have been loads of positives for Harrison on Saturday. Vieira is among the worst attainable matchups for her when it comes to abilities and physicality, so she was at all times going to have a tough time in there. And when she did, Harrison persevered. Regardless of an unlimited weight reduce and competing at altitude, Harrison discovered a solution to make issues occur within the last spherical, and he or she confirmed strong struggle IQ to verify she walked out of there with the win. That’s all very, excellent.

Add on that Harrison is an nearly cartoonishly dangerous matchup for Peña and it’s extraordinarily doubtless that Harrison provides UFC gold to her trophy assortment quickly.

Carla Esparza

“What is going to you keep in mind about Carla Esparza’s profession? First UFC strawweight champ, 4 UFC title fights, sixteen UFC appearances in nearly ten years (TUF 20 Finale was December 2014)…”

Esparza retired on Saturday after a contentious break up resolution loss, ending a 27-fight, 14-year MMA profession. The UFC even gave her a pleasant little ship off video package deal. It was lower than Esparza deserved however seeing how she is, like Peña, a two-time champion, I think she’ll in the end get extra flowers when she’s inducted into the Corridor of Fame each for her title wins and for her position in pioneering the ladies’s weight courses within the UFC.

As for what I’ll keep in mind about Carla’s profession, the reply is straightforward: it’s her second title win, defeating Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 to reclaim the strawweight title 2611 days after she misplaced it.

Of the 18 fighters to reclaim belts, nearly all of them did it a yr or two after dropping the title. Actually, solely Carla and Randy Couture had large durations of time between title reigns, and Carla’s was practically two years greater than Randy’s (his second and third heavyweight title runs). It’s an unbelievable accomplishment that mainly nobody remembers or talks about as a result of it occurred in actually the worst struggle in trendy UFC historical past.

However there’s one more reason it stands proud to me: regardless of how dangerous the struggle was, Esparza’s second title win was the true deal.

Esparza received the inaugural strawweight belt by advantage of profitable The Final Fighter, however the reality is that most individuals within the know on the time didn’t actually put a lot inventory in that. Sure, Esparza was the Invicta champ earlier than TUF, however the perception was that the winner of Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha was the champion in ready, a perception which was confirmed true. So although Esparza was the inaugural champ in identify, there was a little bit of a Nicco Montano “had been you actually the champ?” to all of it. However as soon as she received the belt a second time, all that’s over. It’s like when Cormier received the heavyweight belt by knocking out Stipe: there have been no asterisks to that title. Identical for Esparza, and that’s why it’s going to at all times stick out to me.

Thanks for studying, and thanks for everybody who despatched in tweets (Xs?)! Do you’ve got any burning questions on issues a minimum of considerably associated to fight sports activities? Then you definately’re in luck, as a result of you’ll be able to ship your tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I’ll reply my favourite ones! Doesn’t matter in the event that they’re topical or insane, simply as long as they’re good. Thanks once more, and see y’all subsequent week.