The UFC returned to pay-per-view on Saturday, Oct. 4, for the first time in almost two months. UFC 320 was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event featured a brilliant card with two title fights ending the night.
(C) Magomed Ankalaev vs. #1 Alex Pereira
The main event was a light-heavyweight title rematch between the champ Magomed Ankalaev and the former champion Alex Pereira. At UFC 313 in March, Ankalaev became the first man to beat Pereira since Israel Adesanya did back in 2023. Pereira claimed he was around 40% leading up to their first bout because of a stress fracture in his tibia and an illness he contracted two weeks before the fight.
After being out of action for 210 days, Pereira was once again fighting for a title on Saturday night. This was Pereira’s eighth title fight in less than three years.
A minute into the fight, Pereira threw a huge right hand, catching Ankalaev on the side of the head and forcing the champ to shoot a takedown early into the round. Pereira smelled blood in the water and was able to block the takedown attempt and deliver brutal ground and pound. This proved too much for Ankalaev and referee Herb Dean was forced to stop the fight just 80 seconds into round one.
Pereira was able to reclaim his title and avenge the loss that ended his five-fight unbeaten streak.
(C) Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen
The bantamweight championship was also up for grabs in the co-main event. The “Machine” Merab Dvalishvili was set to make his third title defense against the number four ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen.
Dvalishvili is one of the most active champions in the UFC, with all three of his title defenses coming this year. The Georgian native came into the weekend on a 13-fight win streak that started all the way back in 2018. Dvalishvili is known for his insane cardio and his ability to constantly push the pace inside the octagon.
His opponent Sandhagen has been a top name in the bantamweight division for multiple years. He holds wins over former UFC champions Frankie Edgar and Deiveson Figueiredo. His win over Figueiredo back in May set him up for this title bout.
Ultimately, this fight was just another clinic run by champion Dvalishvili. He outclassed Sandhagen in every round of the five-round fight. Dvalishvili went 20/37 on takedowns during the fight and landed a total of 243 strikes.
Although Dvalishvili is known for his wrestling, he managed to injure Sandhagen severely in the second round after landing a huge combo of hooks. Sandhagen managed to survive all five rounds, but Dvalishvili won the fight via unanimous decision.
The champ made history multiple times in the fight, setting a record for most takedowns landed in a single fight at 20. He also became the first fighter in the UFC to surpass 100 career takedowns, with his total reaching 117 after the fight.
Dvalishvili targets his next opponent, which is more than likely a rematch with former champion Petr Yan.
Jiří Procházka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
The feature fight on the main card was a huge light-heavyweight title eliminator between the second ranked Jiří Procházka and fourth ranked Khalil Rountree Jr.
Both contenders stepped into the octagon Saturday night with the thought of getting their rematch for the title.
Procházka previously fought Pereira twice for the belt and was knocked out both times. Rountree Jr. had a similar fate in his title bout against Pereira as well, getting finished in the fourth round. Both were also coming off a win against former champ Jamahal Hill.
This fight received the “Fight of the Night” award due to an amazing three round brawl leaving Procházka victorious after arguably losing the first two rounds on the judges’ scorecards.
Rountree Jr. managed to pressure Procházka and land some huge strikes during the first two rounds. However, when the third and final round started, it seemed he was starting to run out of gas. Procházka took advantage of that and started fighting back and throwing some of his own combos at Rountree Jr.
With a little less than two minutes left in the third, Procházka found himself in the clinch up against the cage with Rountree Jr. He threw a stunning left jab and then followed with a huge left hook, knocking Rountree Jr. flat on his face and ending the fight.
Procházka is now on a two-fight knockout streak, with both wins coming over former title challengers. A trilogy fight with Pereira might be in the Czech’s future.