UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 Fight Card, Predictions, & Odds

The highly anticipated championship rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira for the undisputed UFC light heavyweight title will take place on Oct. 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ankalaev drew first blood in their head-to-head score with a masterful unanimous decision win over Pereira last March at UFC 313. This is the main reason why he’s the betting favorite heading into the match with -265 UFC odds.

On the other hand, Pereira, the former undisputed king of the weight class with three successful title defenses, is going to be the betting underdog with +210 odds.

UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 Odds

• Magomed Ankalaev: -265
• Alex Pereira: +210

UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2: Prediction

I predict that Ankalaev will win again by unanimous decision against Pereira in this championship rematch because he will impose his grappling more urgently and earlier compared to the first fight.

I never expected both of them to thrive in each other’s game in their first meeting, with Ankalev landing more significant strikes and Pereira successfully defending all the takedown attempts by the Russian.

However, Ankalaev has found the Achilles’ heel of Pereira by putting him on the back foot and constantly pressuring him for the majority of the bout. This took away the rhythm and combinations of “Poatan” because he’s not used to fighting when he’s on retreat.

The Russian champion was also able to string together quick combinations through his punches, which, most of the time, surprised Pereira. Additionally, he was able to drain significant energy from Pereira by pressing him against the cage.

If Ankalaev could repeat this exact blueprint from that previous fight, it could be a replay of their last match. If Pereira can reciprocate the forward pressure of Ankalaev, it can definitely change the complexity of this upcoming rematch. 

Magomed Ankalaev’s Recent Fight Results

Ankalaev was a former WFCA champion before he was signed by the UFC in 2018. He received a last-second submission loss to Paul Craig in his debut in March 2018. But, he quickly proved that he’s a UFC champion by winning his next 12 matches.

During this stretch, he notably defeated the likes of Ion Cutelaba, Nikita Krylov, Volkan Oezdemir, Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Johnny Walker, and Aleksandar Rakic. His first shot at the UFC light heavyweight crown against Jan Blachowicz in December 2022 ended in a draw.

His most recent victory came against Pereira, whom he dethroned last March in the main event of UFC 313 with a unanimous decision victory in front of the packed T-Mobile Arena crowd in Las Vegas.

Alex Pereira’s Recent Fight Results

Pereira was already a kickboxing superstar before he even earned himself a contract with the UFC in 2021. He left a lasting impression in his UFC debut when he defeated Andreas Michailidis in November 2021 with a flying knee highlight-reel knockout.

Then he quickly added Bruno Silva and Sean Strickland to his pile of wins to earn a shot at the UFC middleweight title against his longtime nemesis Israel Adesanya in November 2022. Pereira seized the title opportunity and TKO’d Adesanya in the fifth round.

Five months later, Pereira fought Adesanya in a rematch, but sustained a second-round knockout loss. That defeat prompted him to move up in the light heavyweight division, where he continued his dominance.

In just two fights, “Poatan” became the division’s undisputed king and successfully defended his belt three times before he ran into Ankalaev last March, who handed him his third loss in his professional MMA career. 

UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2: Tale of the Tape

UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 Fight Card

• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2, UFC light heavyweight championship fight
• Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen, UFC bantamweight championship fight
• Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr., light heavyweight fight
• Josh Emmett vs. Youssef Zalal, featherweight fight
• Abus Magomedov vs. Joe Pyfer, middleweight fight
• Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz, middleweight fight
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Muniz, middleweight fight
• Chris Gutierrez vs. Farid Basharat, bantamweight fight
• Daniel Santos vs. Joosang Yoo, featherweight fight
• Macy Chiasson vs. Yana Santos, women’s bantamweight fight
• Patchy Mix vs. Jakub Wiklacz, bantamweight fight
• Punahele Soriano vs. Nikolay Veretennikov, welterweight fight
• Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Austin Vanderford, welterweight fight
• Veronica Hardy vs. Brogan Walker, women’s flyweight fight