LAS VEGAS — Alex Pereira reclaimed the UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Magomed Ankalaev in a stunning knockout just 1:20 into the first round of the main event at UFC 320 on Saturday night.
Pereira, 38, was seeking revenge for a decisive unanimous decision loss to Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March, claiming he was only at 40 percent for that match. With a cleaner bill of health and a clear mind for vengeance, Pereira (13-3-0) stayed on the attack and didn’t allow Ankalaev (21-2-1) to touch him.
Pereira’s victory revives the light heavyweight title picture, taking the belt from a fighter in 33-year-old Russian Ankalaev who did little to inspire hope for the future of the division. With Jiri Prochazka also winning his bout by stunning knockout, it awakened the potential for a potential third bout against Brazil’s Pereira for the belt.
Merab Dvalishvili (21-4-0) successfully defended his bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen (18-6-0) in the co-main event (49-45, 49-45, 49-46), dominating the last four rounds of the fight after taking complete control in the second. Dvalishvili, from the country of Georgia, nearly finished Sandhagen with a D’arce choke late in the fourth, but the American avoided tapping and brought the fight to the scorecards.
Sandhagen managed to keep the fight on foot for most of the first round, baiting Dvalishvili into favorable strike exchanges that allowed him to gain an early advantage. That would be the last window Sandhagen would have, as Dvalishvili seemingly flipped a switch in the second round and nearly finished the American with his fists in a 10-8 display that turned the fight.
The most anticipated action of the main card began with a light heavyweight war between Prochazka (32-5-1) and Khalil Rountree Jr. (15-7-0). With a loss likely in the balance late in the third, Prochazka landed a devastating combination that knocked Rountree out cold with two minutes left on the clock.
Rountree gained an early advantage by landing multiple series of high-caliber combinations in the first round that left Prochazka clearly stumbling into the second. The exchanges also tired Rountree, allowing Prochazka a chance to find a window with his third-round explosion.
Youssef Zalal (18-5-1) made quick work of Josh Emmett (19-6) in the main card’s second fight, forcing the 40-year-old to verbally tap via arm bar 1:38 into the bout in a moment that left the T-Mobile Arena crowd stumped.
It wasn’t immediately apparent why the featherweight fighters were being separated until the replay was shown. The realization of what occurred was met with dismay from a pro-Emmett crowd that moments earlier was engaging in “USA” chants. The finish marked Zalal’s fifth straight victory.
Joe Pyfer (15-3-0) opened the main card with a second-round submission victory over Abus Magomedov (28-7-1), securing a successful rear-naked choke at 1:46 in the second round. Magomedov dominated the first, but Pyfer dropped Magomedov with a combo to begin the second and nearly made him tap with an arm triangle before locking in the finisher.
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
