UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira face off

The highly anticipated rematch for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship is set as Ankalaev prepares to defend his title against former champion Alex Pereira at UFC 320 on October 4, 2025, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The main event pits the Russian champion, Ankalaev, against the Brazilian knockout artist, Pereira, in a second showdown. Ankalaev won their first fight at UFC 313 in March by unanimous decision, taking the title from Pereira.

Magomed Ankalaev, the current champion, is on an impressive 14-fight unbeaten streak. He aims to cement his legacy in the light heavyweight division before potentially moving up to challenge for the heavyweight title. Ankalaev is confident that a fully prepared camp will lead to a more dominant performance this time.

“I still have goals that I have to achieve in the UFC. I want to make sure to cement my legacy at light heavyweight. I want to defend the belt a couple of more times.”

He gave a strong warning that “Saturday night, I’m going to beat him up like he stole something from me. I’m going to punish your boy. There is no more chama, we killed it!”

Former two-division champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira is looking to become just the second three-time two-weight class champion in UFC history by immediately reclaiming his light heavyweight title.

The judges in the first fight rewarded Ankalaev’s control and striking, while Pereira was reportedly dealing with injuries and illness, which he has not confirmed.

When asked about the difficulty of former champions immediately winning their belts back, Pereira dismissed the idea, saying, “I think I’m different and can do things different. I’m a two-division champion, and few people have been able to do that, too.”

In their first fight in March, Ankalaev defeated Pereira via unanimous decision. Ankalaev was successful in landing more strikes and effectively using the clinch game to neutralise Pereira’s powerful kickboxing.