Cages, champions and community: My eye-opening night at UFC 307

Alex Pereira celebrates his win over Khalil Rountree Jr. during Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Alex Pereira defended his UFC light heavyweight championship title for the third time against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the co-main event of UFC 307 on Saturday night in Salt Lake City. In the second-highest-grossing event at the Delta Center to date, a crowd of 17,487 produced $5 million in ticket sales, according to statistics provided by the UFC following the event.

In the dramatic conclusion, Pereira broke the record for the shortest time between three world title defenses.

“There’s no doubt what this guy has done is unbelievable,” Dana White, CEO of UFC, said of Pereira’s technique in the post-fight media press conference.

“I mean, this guy destroys everybody.”

It was a return to Salt Lake City for UFC, and my first time witnessing a live fight. Here’s what I observed about the sport, and how it was received by Utah’s capital city.

Fighters during Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Punches and chokes are to be expected, but what really caught the attention was the genuine respect these fighters had for one another as soon as the matches ended.

For people who aren’t in the world of ultimate fighting, the sport can easily be stereotyped as brutes fighting in cages like animals. What is overlooked is the sheer skill of reacting faster and more precisely than your opponent while under enormous amounts of pressure.

And for some of these athletes, fighting has literally — and perhaps ironically — saved their lives, which adds to the appeal for many fans.

Before being a fan of the UFC, Kendall Murphy told me that when her husband would turn on the sport, “I would look at the TV and think, this is brutal. This is awful. Like, I can’t watch this.”

But then, one night, she overheard Sean Strickland, a former UFC middleweight champion, talking about how fighting saved his life.

“I remember him saying how as soon as he found fighting, he was able to overcome childhood trauma ... and it made me realize, like, oh, these guys are there because they absolutely love doing this,” Murphy said.

“MarQuel Mederos was a homeless guy that’s now pretty successful in the UFC. These kinds of stories made me realize that they actually love what they’re doing, and it’s saving their lives. Every single day, they’re getting up to train, staying clean from addiction or healing from trauma.”

Utah native Court McGee, the first win of the night in a welterweight bout against Tim Means, is another example of overcoming addiction. After flatlining and being declared legally dead from a drug overdose, first responders were able to revive him, giving the fighter a second chance at life.

He thanked his wife, his children and his parents Saturday night during his post-win interview.

Brian and Kirsten Mark talk about his fan experience during Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

UFC is not for everyone, but one fan in the crowd had a shirt that read, “Give violence a chance.”

But for those who follow the sport or who are learning to follow it, the crowd alone makes a UFC event worthwhile. When a fighter makes contact with an opponent, whether an ax kick or anaconda choke, the reactions of thousands all at once creates a hungry echo for more.

The unpredictability of each round, due to the vast array of mixed-martial arts fighting techniques, leaves spectators on the edges of their seats for hours.

There were 12 fights in total during UFC 307 Saturday night.

A standard UFC fight lasts around 17 minutes on average, but that’s for a regular bout. Championship bouts have more rounds and tend to last longer. In terms of rounds, non-championship fights have three rounds, whereas main-event fights consist of five rounds and can last up to 29 minutes.

Some fans were at the event as early as 1 p.m. for the fan experience and stayed well into the night, cheering on their favorite fighters, a dedication I did not understand until I sat front and center — fully immersed in the world of ultimate fighting, not realizing I had watched competitors fight for around six hours straight.

Brian and Kirsten Mark told me that the live experience elevates the event to a new level of entertainment.

“We’re right down on the floor, and we watch fights every Saturday,” Kirsten said. “So being so close is surreal.”

The couple flew in from Canada for Kirsten’s first-ever live UFC event. She noted that although she doesn’t enjoy seeing people get hurt, “I love watching knockouts so much.”

“All of our best friends get together for every single UFC. And so it’s like a tradition,” Brian added. “Almost anytime there’s a fight, it’s like a family gathering with all the best friends. It’s the best.”

People like Kirsten and myself, who are experiencing the chaos and actions for the first time live, are the reason UFC has continued to see its growth, Dana White emphasized Saturday night.

“The live event is amazing,” he said. “Nobody leaves one of these live events and goes, ‘Yeah, I don’t ever want to do one of these again.’ So every time we come, you have to assume that new people are experiencing it for the first time, somebody who’s experienced it many times with somebody new, and I mean, that’s how we’ve grown for the last almost 25 years.”

White said Utah has the “nicest people in the world” who have continued to come out and show support, with UFC 307 being the fourth event hosted in the Beehive state.

“It’s been great out here,” he added. “I love it.”

In the first three rounds, the judges favored Rountree, 29-28. But in the fourth, Rountree, bloody and gassed, lost what stamina he had left and fell to the mat after taking heavy blows from Pereira.

“Rountree went in there and started going at it the minute the bell rang. No fear, no jitters, no nerves,” White added. “I mean, maybe he had some jitters and nerves. If he did, he didn’t show it. He went right in against one of the baddest dudes of all time and just started mixing it up with him.”

Seconds before their match, Rountree and Pereira stared at each other, using intimidation as their first offense. My view was directly behind Rountree. The only thing between us was the cage itself.

The crowd was losing its mind.

When Pereira stepped into the octagon, his confidence was evident and did not waver. He didn’t jump or show any signs of nerves. That alone told me he had already won the fight.

I think he knew it, too.