The UFC returns to its Las Vegas home base in a couple weeks to settle things atop the light heavyweight division.
At UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 4, 205-pound champion Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) will put his belt on the line for the first time against former champ Alex Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), whom he beat in March to win the belt with a unanimous decision.
But there’s an absolutely critical fight just a few bouts before that on the pay-per-view main card. “Sin City” also plays host to former champ Jiri Prochazka (31-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and recent title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC). Pereira remains the No. 1 contender in the UFC’s rankings system, but Prochazka is just behind him at No. 2, and Rountree sits at No. 4.
A safe presumption is that Prochazka and Rountree are in position for the winner to stake claim at a title shot against the main event winner. Prochazka beat Glover Teixeira to win the belt in 2022, but vacated it without a defense because of an injury. His only two losses in the UFC have been to Pereira in title bouts. And Rountree’s only loss the last 4.5 years? Pereira, too.
Fight week is 10 days out, but to start to get in title shot mode, take a look back at the UFC careers of Prochazka and Rountree in a full fight marathon.
Prochazka took the UFC by storm in 2020 after he came over as a Rizin champ. He had a bonus-winning knockout of former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir, a double bonus win over former title challenger Dominick Reyes, then a title win in just his third UFC fight.
Rountree had a five-fight winning streak with three bonuses that led to his shot at Pereira, which was a Fight of the Night war, but ultimately a fourth-round TKO loss. In June, he rebounded with a win over former champion Jamahal Hill.
Check out four full fights each from Prochazka (wins over Hill, Aleksandar Rakic, Oezdemir and champ Teixeira) and Rountree (wins over Eryk Anders, Modestas Bukauskas, Anthony Smith and Gokhan Saki).
