Sports
UFC 307: Preview, Props, Odds & Trends
Jun 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira during weigh ins for UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Alex Pereira makes the third title defense of his light heavyweight title he opposes Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of UFC 307 that begins at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Pereira (11-2 MMA), a 37-year-old Brazilian, is fresh off back-to-back knockout victories against ex-UFC light heavyweight champions Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April and Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 in June.
Rountree (14-5 MMA), a 34-year-old Los Angeles native, is rated No. 8 in the light heavyweight division, having won five straight fights. In his latest outing, he finished Anthony Smith by third-round TKO in December, earning the title shot.
Pereira said Thursday at the pre-fight press conference that he greatly respects Rountree Jr. for accepting the fight and his willingness and belief as one of the division’s best fighters.
“Khalil’s up there,” Pereira said via translation. “You can’t deny that anymore. For all the work he’s put in, he is a great striker in this organization. He got the shot, and I am grateful (to fight him).”
LOPSIDED ACTION
Pereira is one of nine UFC fighters to capture championships in multiple weight classes. He won the UFC middleweight title at UFC 281 in November 2022 with a stunning TKO of long-time rival Israel Adesanya. Pereira’s reign was short-lived, however, as he lost the belt to Adesanya in an immediate rematch at UFC 287 in April 2023.
Pereira is a -470 favorite at DraftKings, where he has been the most heavily-bet fighter on the card, and a -520 favorite at FanDuel, with Rountree a heavy underdog at +360 and +350, respectively. Pereira winning by submission (+1600) has been thee most popular winning method at DraftKings, where Rountree winning by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification is next at +500.
BetMGM has also seen one-sided support for Pereira, who has drawn 79 percent of the bets and 66 percent of the money at -500.
THEY SAID IT
Rountree said he is remaining loose and relaxed ahead of the biggest fight of his career. He said he wants this fight remembered as a vehicle for those who can achieve anything.
“Ask yourself this question, right?” Rountree said. “Everybody in the crowd asks yourself this question, ‘What do you want in life? Like, what do you actually want? Not material. When it comes down to a feeling, a vision that you see for yourself. What do you want? And what’s stopping you? That’s what I’m asking myself right now, and that’s what I’ve asked myself all the way up until this point. What’s stopping me from getting what I want?
“For me, the answer has been myself. I think that it’s the same for a lot of people. A lot of times, it’s ourselves in front of us that’s stopping us. So, for me, it’s like, I’ve overcome that (feeling) so many times. And I’m at this point right now. The challenge is not done.”
TITLE BOUT IN CO-MAIN EVENT
The co-main event is a title bought featuring the UFC women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington (16-8 MMA) and former champion Julianna Pena (11-5 MMA). Both women are mainstays of the division and were ex-roommates on The Ultimate Fighter 18, but they have never had the opportunity to compete.
Pena went on to win the season and four out of her first six UFC outings before earning a title shot against then-champion Amanda Nunes. Pena upset Nunes to win the belt in a one-sided affair at UFC 269 in December 2021, securing a second-round rear-naked-choke.
Similarly to the Adesanya-Pereira rivalry, Pena’s championship run lasted less than a year. At UFC 277 in July 2022, Nunes swept the scorecards to win back the belt. She defended it again the following summer against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 before retiring after the victory.
Pennington wound up claiming the vacant title by winning a sixth straight bout, defeating Mayra Bueno Silva by decision at UFC 297 in January.
Pennington opened as the -185 favorite at BetMGM, with those odds shifting to -150 despite drawing 62 percent of the total bets and 53 percent of the money to beat Pena (+125).
OTHER MAIN CARD FIGHTS
ROMAN DOLIDZE VS. KEVIN HOLLAND
The middleweights open the main card. Dolidze will step into the Octagon for the third time this year, having rebounded from a February loss to Nassourdine Imavov by notching a short-notice unanimous decision victory over Anthony Smith at UFC 303.
Dolidze, who has split his UFC time between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, can move up the middleweight ranks with a win over Holland, who snapped a two-fight losing streak with a first-round submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk in his most recent fight. However, he has won just one of his past four middleweight fights.
Holland opened at -165 at BetMGM, but those odds have shifted to -145 with the public backing him with 61 percent of the money. But the total bets have been almost split, with Dolidze holding a slight edge with 53 percent.
JOSE ALDO VS. MARIO BAUTISTA
This bantamweight fight pits the Brazilian Aldo against Bautista, a rising name who faces his stiffest test to date. Aldo came out of a brief retirement to score a decision win over Jonathan Martinez in Rio de Janeiro in May. Bautista, meanwhile, is riding a six-fight win streak. The MMA Lab product most recent earned a unanimous decision win over Ricky Simon.
The public has been split, with Bautista backed by 56 percent of the money as the -140 favorite, while Aldo has been supported by a whopping 79 percent of the bets — driving his odds down from +130 to +115 by Friday.
KETLEN VIEIRA VS. KAYLA HARRISON
This women’s bantamweight fight features the 135-pound mainstay Vieira against the newcomer Harrison, who dominated former champion Holly Holm in her UFC debut in April. Vieira, who also has a win over Holm on her resume, lost a split decision against Pennington before beating Pannie Kianzad.
It’s a massive fight for both women, with the winner in excellent position to face the winner of Pennington-Pena in the co-main event. Harrison is the biggest favorite on the main card at -1100. That has led to lopsided action for Vieira, who has drawn 83 percent of the total bets and 80 percent of the money as the +700 underdog.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros put RHP Spencer Arrighetti (foot) on 15-day IL
Jul 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (41) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images In the thick of the American League West and AL wild-card races, the Houston Astros placed right-handed starter Spencer Arrighetti on the 15-day injured list Saturday with nerve irritation in his foot.
Arrighetti, 26, left Friday’s start against the Chicago White Sox after one inning and 33 pitches due to the foot issue.
In a corresponding move, Houston recalled left-handed reliever Bryan King from Triple-A Sugar Land.
In 17 starts this season, Arrighetti is 7-5 with a 4.60 ERA, allowing six or more earned runs in three of his final four starts before the All-Star break. The 2021 sixth-round pick, who debuted with Houston in 2024, is 15-23 with a 4.66 ERA in 53 games (52 starts).
The 29-year-old King has made 42 relief appearances with the Astros in 2026, posting a 2-3 record with a 3.40 ERA. Across his three MLB seasons, all with Houston, he is 8-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 138 relief outings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Athletics activate star Nick Kurtz (thumb) from IL
![Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) takes first base as Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) misses a catch during the first inning] at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.](https://dailyfacthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/29355296.jpg)
Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) takes first base as Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) misses a catch during the first inning] at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The Athletics activated All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz from the 10-day injured list prior to Saturday’s road game against the Minnesota Twins.
Kurtz sustained a right thumb capsule sprain and was placed on the IL on July 10 and the injury forced him to miss the All-Star Game. He had been elevated to American League starter when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (back) of the Toronto Blue Jays backed out.
Kurtz is batting second and serving as the designated hitter on Saturday.
Kurtz exited a 6-1 loss at Detroit on July 8 after 1 1/2 innings after he appeared to hurt the hand while trying to field a throw in the bottom of the first. The following day, he was the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a 4-1 loss to the Tigers.
Kurtz, 23, is batting .266 with 20 homers and 66 RBIs in 92 games. He was the unanimous 2025 AL Rookie of the Year with a .290 batting average, 36 home runs and 86 RBIs in just 117 games.
Third baseman Max Muncy was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. He was recalled by the A’s earlier this week and went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in two games.
Muncy, 23, is batting .223 with five homers and 20 RBIs over 48 games. He has a .218 average in 111 big league games over the past two campaigns.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Davis Alexander, Alouettes look to extend East cushion vs. Tiger-Cats
Nov 16, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander (10) looks to pass during the fourth quarter against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the 112th Grey Cup Championship at Princess Auto Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images With a healthy Davis Alexander at the controls, the Montreal Alouettes have a chance to run away with the East Division pretty quickly.
When Montreal hosts the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday night, it has a chance to take a three-game lead and earn the tiebreaker with a victory.
Most of that is because Alexander has – to this point – stayed off the injured list after playing just eight games last year due to a hamstring injury. Alexander has rolled up huge numbers for the Als (5-1), passing for 2,181 yards and 11 touchdowns while setting a new CFL record by throwing 336 straight passes without an interception.
Head coach Jason Maas said he and Alexander came to an understanding that he had to curb his scrambling style to be of maximum use to the club.
“He’s very smart about how he plays and what he decides to do,” Maas said. “There’s a reason he has played (six) straight games. These things, after you’ve had one, they can reoccur and it takes a lot of time to get over them.”
While Montreal is soaring with its quarterback at 100 percent, Hamilton (3-3) got back into the win column last week when its third starting quarterback in three weeks gave the offense a big lift in a 24-23 win over Toronto.
Tre Ford hit on 21 of 27 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 109 yards on 10 attempts. The Tiger-Cats struggled mightily on offense in back-to-back losses to Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, largely because star QB Bo Levi Mitchell broke his ankle in the third quarter against Winnipeg.
“Using my legs is going to be an asset for my team,” said Ford, a former starter in Edmonton before being benched last year for Cody Fajardo. “Having legs definitely helps … being able to extend plays, run around and get first downs.”
It was really helpful last week when tackles Trevor Reid and Quinton Barrow left with injuries, forcing rookie tight end Max Mang into emergency duty as a guard.
–Field Level Media
Astros put RHP Spencer Arrighetti (foot) on 15-day IL
Athletics activate star Nick Kurtz (thumb) from IL
