Israel Adesanya reverses course, drops surprising prediction for Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree at UFC 307

Israel Adesanya usually picks against Alex Pereira.

In fact, “The Last Stylebender” has even gone so far as to channel shaman spirits in hopes of cursing his longtime rival, who despite Adesanya’s best efforts, continues to knock out every opponent the promotion stands in front of him.

Perhaps reverse psychology will help break some of those curses.

“Just off the cuff, I’ll go Pereira because [of] momentum right now,” Adesanya said on The Adam Carolla Show. “Rountree doesn’t grapple. He likes to kickbox, he’s never gone for a takedown. If you’re going to do that with Pereira ... and I’m the only one who has ever rocked him, or stood with him in the UFC, everyone else, he’s washed. Rountree, I feel like, if he can make it dirty and catch him, he can catch him. But it’s so hard to do with Pereira because, Rountree, his reach might not be able to get to him.”

Pereira defends his 205-pound title against Khalil Rountree Jr. atop the UFC 307 pay-per-view (PPV) event, scheduled for this Sat. night (Oct. 5, 2024) inside Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their five-round headliner is unlikely to feature any grappling (because of this).

“I’m going to go Pereira, and I’m going to go TKO or KO,” Adesanya said. “I don’t know what round, but I just feel like it’ll be hard for Rountree to get past that frame. [I can see] leg kicks, leg kicks [from Pereira], and he might catch Rountree as he comes in. Because Rountree is going to be attacking him. Paper can’t fight paper, so that’s why you’ve got to fight. But it’s a good fight and I think, again, Pereira by Round 2 or Round 3. But if Rountree does it, f*cking ridiculous.”

Pereira remains the odds-on betting favorite.

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Championship Doubleheader! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will stage a once-in-a-lifetime pay-per-view (PPV) extravaganza on Sat., Sept. 14, 2024, to honor Mexican Independence Day during Riyadh Season, an unlikely mashup topped by the Bantamweight main event between reigning champion, Sean O’Malley, and sliced-and-diced No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili. In UFC 306’s championship co-headliner, current Flyweight titleholder, Alexa Grasso, will settle her score with fellow Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 32 coach, Valentina Shevchenko, in the final fight of their epic 125-pound trilogy. UFC 306’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes, Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoriqileng, and so much more! It’s must-watch action from “Sin City!” UFC 306’s start time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (Prelims card) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 307 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

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