SALT LAKE CITY – Joaquin Buckley thinks his UFC 307 finish of Stephen Thompson earned him a big fight in the welterweight division, and he’s putting a target on Kamaru Usman’s head.

Buckley (21-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) extended his perfect run since dropped to 170 pounds Saturday when he scored a third-round knockout of former title challenger Thompson at Delta Center. After the fight, he took the microphone and called out Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC).

“(I’m) 5-0 in the welterweight division right now,” Buckley told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 307. “Me putting on a tear, I feel like at the end of the day Usman being a former champion will kind of prove and cement my name that I should fight for a title next.”

Usman is currently on a three-fight losing skid and hasn’t competed since a majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October 2022. The former titleholder has publicly entertained a variety of matchups in recent months, and also seemed to acknowledge Buckley mentioning his name with some emojis on X.

For Buckley, 30, he thinks it’s a matchup that will show the world exactly what he’s about in the form of a highlight-reel moment.

“I think I can knock out Usman,” Buckley said. “Immediately – yeah, immediately. Breaking records.”

As Buckley looks to continue his surge to the top of the division, he points to his performance against “Wonderboy” as a confidence-building moment. It was a competitive fight with 19-19, 18-20 and 20-18 scorecards going into the final round.

Buckley took it out of the hands of the judges, though, and he said that was the product of a well-round attack.

“I knew I just had to mix it up the whole time,” Buckley said. “You can’t just go out there and be one-dimensional, whether that’s just wrestling or striking with ‘Wonderboy.’ You’ve got to mix it up, especially if you’re trying to get him out of there.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

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The UFC and BMF champions will collide when the octagon returns to Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26.

The company officially announced the UFC 308 main card during Saturday’s UFC 307 broadcast, with 145-pound titleholder Ilia Topuria defending his throne for the first time since stopping Alexander Volkanovski. He faces Max Holloway, a former featherweight king who recently claimed the BMF belt with a epic knockout over Justin Gaethje at lightweight.

The co-main event will feature Robert Whittaker battling undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in a pivotal middleweight contest. Chimaev hasn’t competed since scoring a majority decision over Kamaru Usman in October of 2023, while Whittaker walked through Ikram Aliskerov this past June, obliterating the man that stepped in a replacement for Chimaev in Abu Dhabi.

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan will open the UFC 308 main card, followed by Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic in a contest that could define the next contender for UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. The third bout on the list is Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige.

Below is the full fight card and bout lineup for UFC 308.

Main card, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

Preliminary Card, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN+

Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Mateusz Rebecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai

Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos

Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Justin Tafa

Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira

SALT LAKE CITY – UFC CEO Dana White didn’t hold back in his latest verbal assault on PFL.

Prior to Saturday’s UFC 307 event at Delta Center, PFL put out a promotional video for its upcoming pay-per-view title fight between Larissa Pacheco and Cris Cyborg on Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia. The video focused on Pacheco’s victory over Kayla Harrison in 2022.

Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) parted ways with PFL one fight after the loss (which was Pacheco’s first win against her in three attempts), and joined the UFC. She has started with back-to-back wins in the octagon, including a unanimous decision over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307.

White was asked about the promo video following the event, and he said it’s just another example of desperation from the rival promotion, which he claims is bleeding financially.

“I think when you’re losing as much money as they are, f*cking go for it,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 307 post-fight press conference. “F*cking throw the kitchen sink at it. (Donn Davis) just came out recently and said, ‘You know, we’re going to spend more money than they did on the Sphere.’ That sounds f*cking brilliant. How many tickets are you going to sell?

“They’re not very bright. It’s all fair. Knock yourself out. They’re drowning. Drowning. They suck. They’re not good at what they do, so I guess you would just keep trying anything you can to make something stick. All good.”

Harrison has quickly become an attraction in the women’s bantamweight division upon joining the UFC roster. She has taken her personality to another level, and White said that’s a product of escaping her previous environment.

“It’s just another level when you get here,” White said. “They feel it. You f*cking rot away in the PFL for years or f*cking Bellator and sh*t and you finally get here – you feel it.”

Harrison will now seemingly get the chance to maximize her potential and platform. She positioned herself as the top contender by beating Vieira, and later in the night at UFC 307 the title in the weight class changed hands when Julianna Peña won a split decision over Raquel Pennington.

White said he eagerly anticipates a showdown between Peña and Harrison.

“When you get here and you start to break into the top five, top three – it gets tougher,” White said. “Julianna and (Kayla) are both dogs, so it should be fun”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Khalil Rountree continues to handle his UFC 307 defeat with class.

Although Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) gave an interview in the cage Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, as he nearly bled all over commentator Joe Rogan, he did not post anything on social media until Sunday.

In a lengthy written statement, Rountree thanked Alex Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) for the intense back-and-forth battle their shared together and indicated he discovered a lot about himself over the course of the fight.

“I didn’t win the title but I grew last night,” Rountree wrote on Instagram. “@alexpoatanpereira thanks for helping me see that I’m ready to take on the world. You showed amazing skill, you brought out a version of me that I needed to experience. You’re the champ for a reason, much respect. But I now know what I am capable of.”

Rountree lost his first UFC title fight by fourth-round TKO, but had strong moments in the first two rounds despite his status as a heavy betting underdog. He was praised across social media by fans for his heart, courage and moments of success in the fight.

“#saltlakecity you guys were amazing and gave me such a memorable experience,” Rountree continued. “I appreciate all of the positive messages from everyone around the world. @danawhite @espn @espnmma and the entire @ufc staff, thanks for giving me a home, a place to have purpose and providing me with challenges to overcome. Big thanks to my wife @miakang, my family (Donny, Dave, P, all of my uncles and aunts, The Pavlica’s, the Ramseys, Everyone) for your unconditional support. Brazil 🇧🇷 you guys have a strong champion, be proud.

“I will take time to heal from this, I’ll be back even better, it’s inevitable. I’m grateful. Never give up on yourself, always fight hard, uplift your communities and find ways to make the most out of life. @deltacenter thanks for hosting us. #ufc307 was a night to remember.”

Rountree, 34, had won five fights in a row to earn his title shot. Given the damage (some of it very visible) sustained Saturday, it’s unclear when he will return. Whenever he does, Rountree will almost certainly do so with a following.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Real Madrid might make a January move for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool look at extending two deals, and Paul Pogba is set for a fresh start away from Juventus.

Real Madrid had planned to sign England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, 25, on a free transfer next summer when his contract with Liverpool expires, but might move for him in January after Spain defender Dani Carvajal, 32, sustained a serious knee injury. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Liverpool are progressing with contract talks for two key defenders – 21-year-old Jarell Quansah and France centre-back Ibrahima Konate, 25. (Mirror), external

Paul Pogba, 31, is in talks with Juventus aimed at ending his second stint with the Serie A club and making a fresh start after his doping ban was reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. (Mail), external

Wolves do not intend to sack manager Gary O’Neil and will give him time to turn his side’s fortunes around after six defeats from their opening seven Premier League games. (Telegraph), external

Manchester City have set aside £80m to spend on players in the January transfer window after Rodri’s season-ending injury. (Football Insider, external)

West Ham are interested in bringing former Leicester and Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez back to the Premier League in the hope the 31-year-old Villarreal player can improve their attacking options. (Caught Offside), external

Former Barcelona manager Xavi ​​is seen as the ideal choice to lead a reconstruction project at Old Trafford should Erik ten Hag leave Manchester United. (El Nacional – in Spanish), external

Newcastle United’s attempts to sign Lille striker Jonathan David, 24, have been dealt a blow after Barcelona entered the bidding. (Shields Gazette), external

Liverpool have joined Newcastle and Tottenham in the race to sign 26-year-old attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace. (Football Insider), external

Barcelona are monitoring Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane, 28, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Wolves, Everton and Chelsea have been monitoring Santos’ 18-year-old Brazilian defender Joao Pedro Chermont. (Caught Offside), external