Defending champion Alex Pereira has beaten Khalil Rountree in a fourth-round technical knock-out at the Delta Centre in Salt Lake City.

The result means that Pereira has thwarted the latest attempt to swipe away his crown, with the Brazilian retaining his top spot as the king of light heavyweight in UFC 307's main event.

The four-round failure marks Rountree's first outing since he served a four-month suspension for a failed drug test.

Undoubtedly, the 'War Horse' was keen to show his naysayers he was back with a vengeance, but it was not to be for the American fighter.

Overall, the fight ended in a fourth-round knockout.

The fight was over thanks to a Pereira-special combination serve, which left Rountree bent over and struggling.

During the match, his challenger landed some clean shots on the champion early on, however, Pereira's strikes were also finding their way home.

Towards the end of the second round, a Rountree hard-right briefly dropped Pereira.

Pereira, however, remained his usual stoic self and started to exert control in the third round, with damage done to his opponent's face and Rountree's pace faltering.

In typical form, Pereira kept coming and the fight got uglier and bloodier.

Alex Pereira defeated Khalil Rountree in a fourth-round technical knockout, after a flurry of body strikes and an uppercut.