What mattered most at UFC 320 on Saturday from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
5. Patchy Mix’s rough octagon start
There’s no way Patchy Mix could’ve foreseen this scenario when he signed with the UFC earlier this year, but here he is, winless in two octagon appearances after joining the promotion with a decorated resume and confidence that he was the best bantamweight in the world.
Although there’s a much stronger argument for a win in this fight against Jakub Wiklacz than his debut against Mario Bautista earlier this year, the record of Mix (20-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) is what it is. The performances haven’t aligned with the big talk he came into the UFC with from PFL/Bellator, and now he faces a true test of his willpower and commitment to finding out why things haven’t gone his way.
Mix faces an uphill climb, though. Given his claims about the type of money he’s getting from the UFC on his current contract, I can’t see a world where he gets a step down in competition from here, so if he’s going to turn things around, it’s going to take everything he has.
4. How big of a problem is Ateba Gautier?
I’m not quite as sold on Ateba Gautier as many others in the MMA community after a strong start to his octagon career, including a quick and brutal finish of late replacement Treston Vines, but he’s certainly been impressive.
Gautier (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has all the raw skills, and at 23, appears to have a tremendous upside in terms of potential and skill. His UFC wins haven’t proven anything more than what I already had seen and knew about him when he won his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series a little more than a year ago.
I’m ready to jump all the way in on the Gautier bandwagon, but I’d just like to see him beat a top 50 middleweight first. We’ll see if the extreme slow burn continues from the matchmakers, or if he finally gets someone capable of offering a little more resistence.
3. The new Youssef Zalal is a problem
Youssef Zalal levels up each time he steps in the octagon, and did so once again in a slick and seamless submission finish of Josh Emmett in their featherweight main card bout.
Zalal (18-5-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) is now a perfect 5-0 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in March 2024, and this had to be a showing that convinced non-believers that he not only belongs here, but is a serious threat at 145 pounds.
He made Emmett verbally submit without landing or being hit by a single significant strike, so it doesn’t get much better than that. Hopefully, now he will be thrust into a top-five matchup, and if he finds a similar degree of success, we might have a future champion on our hands.
2. Jiri Prochazka’s inhuman effort might force UFC’s hand
Jiri Prochazka created some questions about his approach to fighting Khalil Rountree Jr. after two relatively ineffective rounds. Then the third came, and the method to his madness was obvious as he put on a thrilling and violent rally to knock Rountree Jr. out cold.
Prochazka (32-5-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is legitimately one of the most unique fighters in the sport and has provided us with insight into his mentality in and out of the octagon over the years. He claims this was the more educated version of himself, and whether you agree with it or not, there was still no lack of excitement.
With eight fight-night bonuses in eight UFC fights, Prochazka has established himself as an all-time action fighter. He clearly craves more, though, and said he’s determined to get UFC gold back around his waist.
Should Prochazka surpass Carlos Ulberg in the queue and get the first shot at new light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira? He’s already had two opportunities to do something against the Brazilian and got finished both times. As he told me at the post-fight press conference, however, he is not the same guy who fell against Pereira before, and he would not repeat his mistakes.
It appears Prochazka has, at minimum, a 50/50 chance to get the title shot. That’s only if Pereira stays at 205 pounds, though, which leads us to…
1. How to handle Alex Pereira’s future?
I certainly didn’t have anywhere close to the same disdain for Magomed Ankalaev’s position as champion as many fans and some pundits carried, but we’d be lying to ourselves on this Sunday if we pretended like Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) regaining the title with an 80-second TKO was anything less than a dream scenario for the UFC.
Ankalaev’s connection to the fanbase pales in comparison to “Poatan,” who made himself undeniable as one of the all-time great fighters to ever grace the octagon by beginning a third title reign, and his second at light heavyweight.
This is not a situation that historically favored Pereira’s position. He was the older fighter in the matchup and lost the first meeting. That almost always doesn’t bode well in the rematch, but as he’s shown throughout his entire MMA career, Pereira is playing by a different set of rules.
How much further can he push this thing, though? He would have a great chance of victory in a third fight against Prochazka, or in a matchup with a fresh and streaking contender in Ulberg. That’s not what Pereira wants, however, and it’s apparent he has a high level of determination to secure a superfight against Jon Jones in June at UFC White House, which would include a move up to heavyweight.
It’s really hard to tell how realistic that is. Jones is grieving the sudden and tragic death of his brother Arthur, and before that, UFC CEO Dana White had minced no words that he did not trust “Bones” enough to compete at that monumental event. Will Pereira’s clear request lead to any rethinking of the situation and whether Jones can participate? We’ll have to see, but Pereira is definitely trying to make it happen.
Whether Pereira’s push to fight Jones is actually a good idea must also be addressed. On paper, it’s an absolute nightmare of a matchup for him, and if it went poorly, no one can assume he would rebound. At 38, Pereira and his wealth of experience in combat sports could catch up to him at any minute of any day. Knowing that, trying to get a massive fight against Jones as a potential final cash out is not bad business. On the other side of the coin, though, his avenue for prolonged success is much greater if he stays put and defends against more favorable matchups.
