Alex Pereira blasts Ankalaev, reclaims UFC light heavyweight

Alex Pereira reclaimed the UFC light heavyweight world title with a blistering first-round stoppage of Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 320 main event on Sunday, Philippine time, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Coming in determined to outdo his March performance where he lost the belt on points, the 38-year-old Brazilian charged forward from the opening bell and immediately put Ankalaev on the defensive.

Ankalaev tried to keep range but ate heavy shots as Pereira’s pressure mounted, and a sharp right hand forced the Russian to shoot for a takedown that backfired.

Pereira sprawled, took mount, and poured on punches and elbows until referee Herb Dean waved it off at 1:20 of Round 1 to move his mixed martial arts record to 13-3 while Ankalaev slipped to 21-2-1.

“Vengeance is never a good thing. It’s kind of a poison. I told everyone I was not in a good condition last time, nobody believed it,” Pereira said in his post-fight interview.

“I don’t like to make excuses, but I’ve been saying I wasn’t well that night (of the first fight), but tonight I’m very well.”

Pereira observed a moment of silence for former NFL linebacker Arthur Jones, the brother of ex-UFC champion Jon Jones who died Friday, before exiting the cage.

In the co-main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili logged a third straight title defense by grinding out a unanimous decision over American contender Cory Sandhagen to extend his win streak to 14 and improve to 21-4.

The UAAP-style Sunday crowd energy was mirrored by Filipino fans online as the quick finish capped a redemption arc for Pereira after his unanimous-decision loss to Ankalaev in March.

The victory resets the light heavyweight hierarchy and tees up fresh big-fight options for Pereira while Dvalishvili’s relentless wrestling continues to define the bantamweight throne.