Pereira-Ankalaev II all set for UFC 320 main event

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The clash of the titans is already booked. And it could be nothing  but perfect for a main event action in the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 320.

On July 23, 2025, the UFC announced that the rematch between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev is already confirmed on October 4, 2025, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ankalaev ended Pereira’s reign in the light heavyweight division after snatching his belt on March 9, 2025, via a 3-0 unanimous decision victory.

It was an impressive clinical display of technical offensive variety for Ankalaev as his grappling game mixed with his fluid stand-up artillery put Pereira in several difficult situations the whole five-round fight.

Although Pereira got loose quickly in the opening round after setting up his attacks with a barrage of snappy calf kicks that prevented Ankalaev’s pressure, the Russian star immediately answered back in the second round after nearly knocking down the former champion with a solid straight punch.

Fortunately for Pereira, Ankalaev’s damage was done in the final 10 seconds of the second round, and the ball rang just when the challenger started to corner him in the cage and unleash heavy haymakers.

It was a 50-50 third round after Pereira found success in defending Ankalaev’s takedown attempts while also going back to his calf kicks for easy points on the cards.

Despite failing to take Pereira down, Ankalaev still dictated the pace and received a landslide 3-0 vote from the judges, the turning point that influenced his unanimous decision win.

Pereira bounced back in the fifth and final round after gaining ground in the stand-up fight but Ankalaev wisely attempted a takedown in the last minute and grappled until the final match buzzer sounded.

Can Pereira redeem himself and take back his UFC light heavyweight belt? Or will Ankalaev pull off another lopsided win to officially mark the changing of the guard in the MMA scene?