A pair of major fights at 135 pounds will play out at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5—the venue is still not confirmed by the promotion—as announced on Friday. The first comes between former featherweight king Jose Aldo (32-8) and Mario Bautista (14-2), first reported by Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight. The second brings top contender Kayla Harrison (17-1) into a likely title eliminator against Ketlen Vieira (14-3), and Super Lutas broke the news on that pairing. Both UFC 307 bouts have since been confirmed by multipleoutlets.
Aldo hung up his gloves in 2022 following a loss to Merab Dvalishvili, and briefly tested the waters in boxing in 2023. Over in the sweet science, Aldo fought to a draw with former MMA foe Jeremy Stephens, and he captured a six-round decision over Esteban Gabriel Espindola before coming back to the cage. His return, which he stated might be the final fight of his tenure, came against Jonathan Martinez in his home country of Brazil. Aldo pulled off the upset, winning the decision much to the delight of local fans.
Bautista comes into this matchup with plenty of momentum, as the winner of six straight outings. Along the way up the talent-rich bantamweight division, the MMA Lab export landed three first-round submissions including an ultra-rare reverse triangle armbar of Benito Lopez in 2023. Most recently, Bautista pocketed decision victories over Da'Mon Blackshear and Ricky Simon, recording the latter win in January.
Ex-lightweight Harrison made a splash in the UFC in April, throttling former champ Holly Holm in under seven minutes in her promotional debut. A multiple-time champion at Professional Fighters League, Harrison lost in a major upset at the end of the 2022 season to rival Larissa Pacheco. Although she rebounded a year later by taking home a decision against Aspen Ladd, Harrison ended her contract and looked towards the UFC.
Brazil’s Vieira has served as a perennial contender at 135 pounds, working her way initially into contention by stringing together four wins as an unbeaten fighter to vie for a title eliminator against Irene Aldana. On her way up, she tapped Sara McMann and outworked Cat Zingano, but Aldana put her down with a barrage of punches. Vieira also celebrates a win over Holm, but in early 2023, she lost to future champ Raquel Pennington. Having gone the distance in six straight, “Fenomeno” last competed in July 2023, where she picked up the nod on all three scorecards over Pannie Kianzad.
UFC 307 is expected to take place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, and there is current no headliner announced. It is rumored that Pennington will put her bantamweight belt up for grabs against Julianna Pena on the Oct. 5 show, but that fight is not official. Additional fights on the billing include a featherweight scrap between Movsar Evloev and Aljamain Sterling, Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo at strawweight and a 185-pound tilt when Cesar Almeida faces Ihor Potieria.
Reference: https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-307-Update-Jose-AldoMario-Bautista-Kayla-HarrisonKetlen-Vieira-Added-194507
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