It’s an exciting time to be a sports fan in the state of Utah right now. The NHL has set foot in Salt Lake City, bringing with it the remnants of the former Arizona Coyotes to comprise the new Utah Hockey Club, with an official moniker launching next season.
In basketball, the Utah Jazz began training camp for their new season this week ahead of the team’s preseason opener on Monday evening vs. the Houston Rockets inside the Delta Center. It’s in that very same arena where MMA‘s top promotion sets up shop this first Saturday evening of October.
The UFC is in its busiest stretch of 2024 right now. Between this weekend and Nov. 23, the promotion holds shows every Saturday, only taking time off for the Thanksgiving holiday over the weekend of Nov. 30 before putting on two more cards in December to close out its schedule of events for the year.
Championship Doubleheader Caps UFC 307, Beginning With Co-Main Event
October has two marquee events in the UFC, the first happening this coming weekend. Delta Center plays host to UFC 307 this Saturday night. Live coverage begins at 6:30 pm ET/ 3:30 pm PT on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass with the early prelims before moving onto ESPNNEWS at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT for late prelims.
Main card action follows at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT on ESPN+ pay-per-view. All told, barring any last-minute alterations to the bout order, the final version of UFC 307 features a full 12-fight card, including two title fights.
The title fight twin-bill kicks off with the UFC 307 main event. Incumbent UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Raquel Pennington (16-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC) battles No. 1 contender Julianna Pena (10-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC). As with all UFC title fights, the UFC 307 co-main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round.
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UFC 307 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the UFC 307 co-main event on Saturday night, champion Raquel Pennington stands as the taller combatant at 5-foot-7, compared to Julianna Pena’s 5-foot-6 frame. Pena owns a 1 1/2 inch reach advantage (69 inches even to 67 1/2 inches) and a two-inch leg reach advantage (39 inches to 37 inches) over Pennington.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Raquel Pennington installed as a -170 betting favorite on the money line, with Julianna Pena countering as a +140 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Pennington Seeks to Run Winning Streak to Seven
Raquel Pennington enters the UFC 307 co-main event having posted a mark of 5-0 in her last five fights. All told, she’s on a six-fight winning streak dating back to June of 2020.
Last time out, she scored a unanimous decision over Mayra Bueno Silva (10-4-1, 1 NC MMA, 5-4-1, 1 NC UFC) in UFC 297 in January. Recently, she talked about her opponent in an interview with MMA Fighting, specifically why she’s gotten a title shot after being out of action for a few years.
“She has a freaking Masters Degree in Yapology,” Pennington said. “She talks and she keeps herself relevant that way. At the end of the day, I don’t understand how this girl can stay injured and then she comes back and then she’s injured and all of a sudden, she’s getting a big fight and then she’s injured and then she comes back and then she’s getting something else. It’s like ‘Who’s managing who? What are you doing here?'”
The time for talk is just about over. Will Pennington put her words into action on Saturday night?
Pena Returns After Injury
In the other corner, Julianna Pena, a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, has posted a record of 3-2 in her last fights, but she hasn’t fought in over 26 months. Last time out, she sustained a unanimous decision loss to Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) during UFC 277 in July of 2022.
Pena had been scheduled to verse Nunes again in June of last year. Chapter three of the rivalry ultimately went unwritten due to the former withdrawing from the card amid a rib injury. Irene Aldana fought in Pena’s stead that night.
With Pena having received a clean bill of health, can she shake off the cobwebs on Saturday night? Tune in and find out.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the UFC 307 main event looks to be a toss-up. Both the champion and the challenger hold purple belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Look for Pennington to Strike Away
Sometimes in the sport of MMA, the highlight-reel finish isn’t going to happen, but when you’ve got a fighter of Raquel Pennington’s ilk, her fists can still tell the tale, as she illustrated in her 2021 fight versus Pannie Kianzad. Throughout the three-round affair, Pennington was the more proficient striker, throwing in some knees and combinations in round three.
She did some decent damage while the fight was in the clinch, outpacing Kianzad 57-50 at one point during the last five minutes. These efforts were enough for her to get her hand raised (unanimous decision) after three rounds.
Pena Has Fists of Fury
In the other corner, Julianna Pena can get it done in devastating fashion. That’s how she got into the UFC back in November of 2013 against Jessica Rakoczy.
During the opening round of the fight, after Pena took side control and eventually mount, she landed a barrage of ground and pound shots, including elbows. While Mario Yamasaki gave Rakoczy every chance to defend the shots, Pena was simply too tough that fall night.
If Pena drops Pennington in the early going of the UFC 307 main event, momentum will be hers.
Final Thoughts
11 years ago, Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena were teammates under Miesha Tate on The Ultimate Fighter. A contest more than a decade in the making finally happens this weekend. Don’t miss it.
Prediction: Raquel Pennington by Unanimous Decision.
