In what is sure to be one of the best mixed martial arts matches of the year, UFC stars Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev will fight for the light heavyweight championship belt this week in Vegas for UFC 320. Ankalaev (21-1-1), who took the belt from Pereira in a March bout, will have his hands full, as Pereira (12-3-0), a former multiweight kickboxing champion as well as UFC middleweight champion, is one of the most decorated combat sports athletes of all time.
At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Pereira, 38, is an imposing fighter with devastating power, with most of his wins coming by knockout or TKO. He is very evenly matched by the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Ankalaev, 33, a superb striker who has more than half of his wins coming by knockout or TKO. This will very much be a chess match, with both fighters patiently waiting for cracks to appear. But with Pereira anxious to reclaim his title, don’t be surprised to see sparks early on.
Make sure to get to T-Mobile Arena early, as there’s plenty of undercard action, including a bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili (20-4) and Cory Sandhagen (18-5) and a light heavyweight clash between Jiří Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr.—both of whom lost to Pereira by knockout in 2024.
T-Mobile Arena, 3 p.m. Oct. 4, starting at $282 plus tax and fee. axs.com
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