3 biggest storylines ahead of UFC 307

UFC 307 - and Alex Pereira's chance to earn his third victory of the year - is upon us.

Pereira defends the light heavyweight title for the third time against Khalil Rountree Jr. in Saturday's main event. In the co-headliner, women's bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington makes her first title defense against former champ Julianna Pena.

Here are three key storylines ahead of the UFC's return to Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Rountree has nothing to lose - and that makes him dangerous

Rountree was surprised when the UFC offered him a light heavyweight title shot against Pereira in the main event of Saturday's card. After all, Rountree is ranked No. 8 in the division. On paper, he's far less deserving than Magomed Ankalaev, the No. 2 contender who's unbeaten since 2018.

There are various theories about why Rountree is getting the next title shot instead of Ankalaev. Perhaps the UFC is trying to keep a star like Pereira on top - or at least guarantee an exciting matchup against another striker like Rountree. For what it's worth, UFC CEO Dana White hasn't seemed eager in the past to have Ankalaev as champion.

Regardless of why the UFC went in this direction, it has put Rountree in an interesting position. As a big underdog and a guy no one expected to get a title shot, Rountree has very little to lose. (Meanwhile, Pereira has everything to lose.) This makes Rountree awfully dangerous.

Although Pereira is the rightful favorite, Rountree has at least a puncher's chance to become the new light heavyweight champion. Rountree has nine career knockout wins to just four decisions and no submissions. He's finished a former heavyweight in Chris Daukaus. And Rountree is very technical on the feet.

Pereira has faced questions about his chin in the past, mostly because of a knockout loss to Israel Adesanya as a middleweight last year. But even if you think Pereira can take more of a punch at light heavyweight, Rountree has the power to put anyone to sleep. If he connects on Pereira's chin, he could play spoiler Saturday night.

In a bout that comes down to who lands first, the fighter with less to lose may be willing to put it all out there and go for broke. Rountree shouldn't be counted out.

Harrison overshadowing the women's bantamweight title fight

Though Pennington defends the women's bantamweight title against Pena at UFC 307, the biggest story in the division this weekend revolves around Kayla Harrison.

The former two-time PFL champion will make her second UFC appearance against No. 2-ranked contender Ketlen Vieira on the main card. Harrison would all but lock up the next crack at the title against the Pennington-Pena winner with a victory.

After Harrison's dominant win against former champ Holly Holm at UFC 300 in April, many believed it was only a matter of time before she ruled over 135 pounds. Harrison is huge for the division, a strong, elite-level wrestler whom only one person - Larissa Pacheco back in 2022 - has been able to figure out.

As long as things go Harrison's way against Vieira, the winner between Pennington and Pena will be in for a tough fight the next time she steps into the Octagon.

Will Aldo, 'Wonderboy' continue to defy Father Time?

Jose Aldo and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson are two of the five oldest fighters scheduled to compete at UFC 307. They're also two prime examples of fighters who have defied Father Time.

Aldo, 38, and Thompson, 41, will face much younger opponents in Mario Bautista and Joaquin Buckley, respectively, but that's nothing new to these two.

Aldo was dismissed as washed up years ago when he lost the UFC featherweight title (on multiple occasions) to Conor McGregor and Max Holloway. But the Brazilian has realized a lot of success in the twilight of his career, beating the likes of Marlon "Chito" Vera and Rob Font since moving down to bantamweight. Most recently, Aldo ended a two-year retirement at UFC 301 in May and beat Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision.

Thompson hasn't had as much success in the last few years, going 1-3 in the Octagon. But it's not as bad as it looks if you dig a little deeper: His losses came against current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Gilbert Burns. And Thompson has a vintage win over Kevin Holland in 2022 mixed in between.

Aldo is ranked No. 10 at 135 pounds, while Thompson is No. 8 at 170. They're not quite in title contention in their respective divisions, but most fighters their ages are long retired - or at least outside the UFC rankings - by now. Both men have displayed impressive longevity. We'll see if they can set back the clock yet again this weekend, or if it's finally time for the new generation to break through.