Pereira makes weight for UFC defence under new rules

Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree successfully made weight for their light-heavyweight title fight at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington also made championship weight (135lb) alongside her challenger Julianna Pena (134.5lb) on Friday morning.

All 24 fighters made weight under new rules in Utah.

The UFC announced before the weigh-in that every fighter would have to weigh in during the first hour and should they miss weight, they could weigh in as many times as they liked in the second hour.

No fighter required the second hour.

Pennington, 36, and former champion Pena were some of the first fighters to weigh in, as well as Rountree (205lb).

Rountree, 34, is a big underdog against Brazil’s Pereira, who is a two-weight champion and has three stoppages in his last three bouts.

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The 37-year-old is looking to create history in Salt Lake City as he attempts to defend his belt for a third time.

Ronda Rousey holds the UFC record for the shortest period between three consecutive title defences, achieving that feat in 189 days, while Pereira – if successful – will have done it just 175 days.

Also on the scales was a visibly weight-drained Kayla Harrison.

The two-time Olympic champion is competing in her second UFC fight and will make herself the number one contender for the bantamweight title should she beat Ketlen Vieira.

Harrison has fought most of her career at featherweight (145lb) but has weighed 136lb on the scales, the same as for her UFC debut in April.