The current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has once again stepped up to rescue Dana White’s UFC 307 fight card, just as he did at UFC 303 when Conor McGregor withdrew from a highly anticipated fight in June. Meanwhile, White recently faced criticism for not announcing UFC 307 when he revealed the UFC 308 card, with fans alleging that he was neglecting UFC 307. Nevertheless, it has now been announced that UFC 307 will be headlined by Alex Pereira, who will face Khalil Rountree.

Regardless, fans and experts remain dissatisfied with the upcoming opponent, as many had hoped to see the No. 2 light heavyweight contender, Magomed Ankalaev, as the potential opponent for Pereira. This disappointment is compounded by Pereira’s rumored plans to leave the light heavyweight division for the heavyweight division. This sentiment was echoed by the X-oriented MMA page @SpinninBackfist, which posted, “Gotta feel for Ankalaev not getting a title shot at this point. having Khalil pull out of the Hill fight and get rewarded with a title shot, while he has to face Rakic is kinda crazy.”

Since Dana White announced the UFC 307 headline fight, fans, and MMA-oriented pages have been buzzing and it’s all evidently against the head honcho. This reaction stems from the fact that Khalil Rountree was initially pulled from his UFC 303 bout against Jamahal Hill after unintentionally consuming a banned substance, DHEA, which was mixed with other supplements. Upon realizing the issue, Rountree promptly reported it to the UFC anti-doping authorities and later addressed the situation with fans through social media.

This post by @SpinninBackfist also drew significant attention from fans, who expressed their frustration in the comments. Many claimed that Dana White is trying to protect the UFC’s new face, Alex Pereira, by matching him against a lower-ranked fighter coming off a doping controversy, while Magomed Ankalaev, with an impressive MMA record of 19-1-1, has yet to receive a title shot.

Fans criticize Dana White over controversial UFC 307 matchup

In the comments, fans targeted both Dana White and Khalil Rountree, criticizing Rountree for his banned substance use and White for matching Mgomed Ankalev against Aleksander Rakic at UFC 308. One comment read, “Rountree coming off a roid suspension and a pullout gets a title shot whilst Ank is fighting Rakic.” UFC 308, set in Abu Dhabi and headlined by Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria, also drew criticism. Another fan echoed this sentiment, commenting, “Rountree pops for PEDs and gets a title shot LMAO.”

Meanwhile, another fan questioned the ranking system in combat sports, commenting, “Kinda defeats the purpose of rankings, etc when you award anyone in the division…Should have been Poatan vs Ankalaev and Rakic vs Rountree.” Another fan accused Dana White of setting up an easy fight for Pereira, stating, “It’s an easy setup fight, Pereira.” Fans also seemed to overlook that Magomed Ankalaev had decided not to fight in America again due to issues from his last bout against Johnny Walker, preferring to fight only in Middle Eastern countries.

One fan, while not directly blaming Dana White, targeted the UFC’s matchmakers, recalling a recent incident where Muhammad Mokaev was cut from the UFC despite his seven consecutive wins. The fan commented, “Was just saying this to a friend. Idk what these matchmakers are doing.”

What are your thoughts on Dana White’s announcement of the UFC 307 headline fight between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree? Do you believe that by featuring Pereira, White is evading his responsibilities, and not awarding a title shot to Magomed Ankaalev a significant oversight by the UFC? Share your thoughts in the comments below.