SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Alex Pereira retained the UFC light heavyweight crown by beating Khalil Rountree Jr. by TKO with 28 seconds left in the fourth round at…
Alex Pereira retained the UFC light heavyweight crown by beating Khalil Rountree Jr. by TKO with 28 seconds left in the fourth round at UFC 307 on Saturday night.
It was the fourth straight title bout for Pereira (12-2) and his third consecutive successful title defense.
Rountree (14-6) showcased his speed early and delivered several hard strikes. At one point, in the second round, he ducked under a roundhouse kick and countered with a strong hook to the face. But Pereira showed more accuracy and consistency in landing blows during the early rounds.
Stamina favored Pereira in the fourth round. He put Rountree on his heels and had him repeatedly covering his face to block strikes. Pereira eventually backed him against the fence and rained blows on Rountree until he dropped to his knees and the referee stopped the fight.
Pereira’s victory headlined five main card fights on Saturday night.
Julianna Peña defeated Raquel Pennington via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to reclaim the women’s bantamweight crown in a bout billed as the co-main event.
