Alex Pereira stops Khalil Rountree Jr. to retain title at UFC 307

One of the most remarkable runs in UFC history continues, but it has been much more difficult than expected.

Alex Pereira methodically broke off a game from Khalil Rountree Jr. and used a painful series of body punches to defend his light heavyweight championship with a fourth-round stoppage Saturday night in the main event of UFC 307 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was included in his third title defense in 176 days after headlining UFC 300 in April and UFC 303 in June. Unlike his knockout wins over Jamahal Hill and JiYí Procházka, Pereira had to deal with adversity against an opponent who refused to walk away voluntarily.

Rountree was ahead 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards heading into the fourth round.

“That was one of my toughest fights. I expected that,” said Pereira. “The game plan was to let him tire. I saw that he started to lose his stamina in the second round. My stamina is only increasing.”

Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC), fighting in Las Vegas, received heavy criticism for being selected as the UFC’s No. 8 light heavyweight contender to fight for the 205-pound title #2- Magomed Ankalaev was surprisingly passed over. But Rountree proved his worth by withstanding immense punishment and winning the striking exchanges in the early rounds.

“Poatan” was disciplined from the start and regularly fed the challenger with calf kicks and jabs. Rountree remained undeterred in the early rounds, hitting several lefties to earn the champion’s respect.

In the second round, Rountree briefly dropped Pereira to his knees by countering a head kick with a right hand. Pereira wasn’t injured, but it was clear Rountree could match him in the strength department. As the fight continued, Pereira patiently snapped the jab and delivered the calf kick. By the third round, Rountree’s base was weakened and the altitude in Salt Lake City began to affect his conditioning. In the final minute of the round, Rountree was gasping for air as Pereira rolled forward and attacked the challenger with punches that caused several cuts around the eye.

Sensing Rountree was fading, Pereira spent the first few minutes of the fourth round allowing the challenger to exhaust the rest of his gas tank. Pereira calmly pushed forward, cradling Rountree with his right hand. The challenger went into survival mode and swung toward the fences, hoping to catch Pereira with his strength. But “Poatan” was both confident and relentless in his attack, sending a series of powerful punches ricocheting off Rountree’s face as the challenger staggered around the octagon.

In a fierce finishing salvo, Pereira sneaked in with an uppercut and unleashed a vicious body combination that drained Rountree of the last vestiges of his resolve. The challenger fell to the ground at 4:32 as Pereira made his third successful title defense.

Pereira outpointed Rountree 63-15 in the fourth round and had a 127-61 lead for the fight.

Pereira joins Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell and Frank Shamrock as the fifth fighter to win three PPV main events in a calendar year by knockout or submission.

Pereira’s remarkable success last year has left many wondering where he will go next. Pereira has hinted at the possibility of moving back to middleweight to challenge champion Dricus Du Plessis, or moving up to heavyweight for a blockbuster showdown with current champion Jon Jones.

But “Poatan” seems comfortable where he is.

“We saw that Dricus fought Sean Strickland next,” Pereira said. “He’s a training partner and I don’t want to get in the way. I can move up to heavyweight, but this division is great and this is where I’m at.”

Whatever he does next, the world will watch as the legend of “Poatan” continues to grow.