UFC 320 had a stacked card: Magomed Ankalaev-Alex Pereira, Merab Dvalishvili-Cory Sandhagen, Khalil Rountree-Jiri Prochazka, to name a few. Each bout brought its own surprises and upsets, while also leaving more questions unanswered.
Here’s a surprise, a takeaway and what’s next.
The Stone Hands Strike Again
If anyone remembered anything from Saturday night, it was the insanity of the title fight between the light heavyweight champion Magomed ‘Big Ank’ Ankalaev and the former champion-turned-contender Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira. UFC 313 was an unfortunate night for Poatan fans worldwide, as then-contender Ankalaev dethroned Pereira in a unanimous decision.
When UFC president Dana White gave Pereira an instant rematch against the champion, all eyes were on Pereira to take back what he had just lost. Ankalaev went in for a takedown right out of the gate in round one, but Pereira was prepared to defend it. In just 80 seconds, the seemingly invincible and undefeated champion lost, and Pereira fans worldwide celebrated as they watched him regain the throne.
“I was surprised by his ability to defend the takedowns,” Ankalaev said in a post-fight interview with former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. “He’s got a really good defense, but I blame myself. It was not enough on my part because there were issues. I couldn’t wrestle the way I needed to wrestle. But a little bit surprised by how good his defense was.”
Resilience Is the Name of the Game
Resilience proved to be the key to success. In several fights, one fighter dominated and had all the momentum. The fight that most clearly showed this was when Ramiz Brahimaj, a major underdog, took on Austin Vanderford.
“That dude was giving me nightmares,” Brahimaj said in the post-fight conference when asked if he knew he was the underdog.
Vanderford imposed his wrestling prowess in the octagon from the start. A swift takedown turned into immediate top control, and combined with a vicious ground and pound, made it seem like all hope was lost for the underdog. It turned into a match of survival for Brahimaj, but when all hope seemed lost near the end of the second round, Brahimaj found himself in a position for a guillotine choke during one of Vanderford’s takedown attempts. This time, without hesitation, Brahimaj locked in a tight guillotine, forcing Vanderford to tap out. Brahimaj proved that staying in the fight is all that’s necessary for an opportunity to win.
Alex Pereira against Jon Jones…?
What happens when an unmovable object meets an unstoppable force?
UFC fans worldwide will find out if Alex Pereira is to take on Jon Jones.
When the undisputed heavyweight champion Jon Jones retired on June 21, many called him out for ducking the No. 1-ranked contender Tom Aspinall. Jones felt that there was no reason to fight Aspinall, as it would have added nothing to his legacy. Jones showed interest in fighting Pereira, though, who was a rising star in the UFC at the time. When it was announced that the UFC would be brought to the White House in 2026, Jones re-entered the testing pool.
After Pereira’s Saturday night win, he showed interest in moving up to the heavyweight division and potentially fighting Jones, who reciprocated the interest on social media. If the fight were to happen on the South Lawn of the White House, it would mark one of the biggest fights to take place in the modern-day fighting scene.
Jones has ruled over the heavyweight division for the past nine years, with only one disqualification loss. Meanwhile, Pereira has proven himself a dangerous fighter, having knocked out six former UFC titleholders and becoming a two-division champ in less than four years.
Fans can only hope the White House fight will happen, but for now, legend Charles Oliveira is set to take on Mateusz Gamrot next weekend in Brazil.