UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 Preview and Predictions

In the fight capital of the world, the UFC will host UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira II live from inside the T-Mobile arena. The headlining contest will see light heavyweight gold on the line as Magomed Ankalaev looks to improve to 2-0 against the man he took the title from, former champion Alex Pereira. Pereira will try and reclaim the belt after dropping it in the first meeting in a closely contested fight that some fans believe the Brazilian should have been declared the victor.

Gold also is at stake in the co-main event as Merab Dvalishvili looks to continue his run as bantamweight king by defeating Cory Sandhagen. Dvalishvili has won thirteen fights in a row and has never shown any hints that he even knows what the word exhausted means. His perpetual motion puzzles opponents. Sandhagen will look to solve that puzzle and use his height and reach to keep Dvalishvili from closing the distance and smushing his hopes of leaving Las Vegas with a gold belt around his waist.

The early prelims air live on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ starting at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the preliminary card on ESPN+ and ESPNEWS at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET. Mathew Petela is here to preview the show.
The first meeting between these two stalwarts was close; can Alex Pereira reclaim his belt in this rematch and score a clear victory?

Petela: Alex Pereira isn’t going to suddenly become a standout grappler at his advanced fighting age. He always has the potential to end a fight with one devastating punch but he couldn’t seem to figure out a rhythm in the first meeting and I think the second fight will largely look similar but Ankalaev will be a more clear winner. Maybe a slight edge on the feet to Pereira but he won’t do any significant damage. Magomed Ankalaev will be able to stay out of danger and pressure sporadically enough to chip away at “Poatan” until he decides to take the fight to the mat. Once the fighters are in the grappling realm it will be a slow and methodical march to victory for Ankalaev. He won’t wow fans with anything fancy but he will be active enough and do enough damage to keep the referee from standing them up and earn a wide unanimous decision victory.

Merab Dvalishvili is clearing out the bantamweight division; can Cory Sandhagen solve the high pace puzzle that has given everyone else in the weight class problems?

Petela: Tough to see a way that Sandhagen gets the job done. I don’t think his length will be a problem for Dvalishvili at all. “The Machine” moves forward with too much goofy tenacity to give Sandhagen a chance to keep him away with pawing jabs or front kicks. Like every Merab fight, he will stick to his opponent like glue and just smother him into exhaustion while peppering him with weird strikes that look silly but are nonetheless effective. They probably go the distance in this one but I can already see Sandhagen looking into the camera and shrugging his shoulders as if to say to the audience “what are you supposed to do against that guy?”

Who’s the biggest winner at UFC 320?

Petela: Jiri Prochazka. Carlos Ulberg burst into title contention by knocking out Dominick Reyes but Jiri will steal that thunder by thumping Khalil Rountree. That victory, combined with an Ankalaev win, will give him all he needs to get one more crack at light heavyweight gold over the rising star in Ulberg.

Who’s the biggest loser at UFC 320?

Petela: Khalil Rountree. He is going to get mollywhopped by Jiri Prochazka and pushed further back down the list of title contenders. In addition, a loss by Alex Pereira will mean they are both two contenders coming off losses and could get paired up for a rematch. While Rountree might theoretically want another chance at Pereira, in practice it’s a bad idea that will end up seeing him take another hellacious beating.

What one fighter’s UFC career is on the ropes at this event?

Petela: Josh Emmett. He has lost three of his last four and while the lone win in that run is a devastating knockout over Bryce Mitchell a fourth loss in fifth fights might just be all she wrote for the Team Alpha Male stalwart. He is also 40 years old and fighting in a shark tank at featherweight. This may be the last time fans across the world get to see what I would look like shirtless if I got into the best shape of my life.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

Petela: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Muniz. Shahbazyan has won two in a row for the first time since 2019. He might actually be developing into the fighter most people anticipated when he first burst onto the big stage. I think Muniz will end up getting a submission win but not before eating some big damage. This clash should be fun.

Who takes home the “Performance of the Night” honors?

Petela: Joe Pyfer. He needs to wipe some of the stink off that lackluster performance against Kelvin Gastelum. Sure, he won the fight but he looked pedestrian late in the contest. I think he absolutely steamrolls Abus Magomedov and gets a vicious ground and pound win that earns him some extra cash.

Pair this card with…

Petela: Little Caesar’s. I’m old enough to remember their “pizza pizza” slogan and for some reason I think of it often. Well, we have a championship doubleheader or as some might say “title title” to close the show. I also think both title fights will be only mediocre, just like Little Caesar’s pizza.