UFC 320: Merab Dvalishvili stands by knockout prediction
Merab Dvalishvili remains steadfast in his desire to knock out Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.
Seven months after Russian light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev beat Brazilian Alex Pereira by unanimous decision, the two will be back at it in a rematch for what is now Ankalaev’s UFC light heavyweight title.
Pereira came into the first fight as the title holder, but lost in a fight largely deemed forgettable to Ankalaev. This is Pereira’s chance at revenge, while Ankalaev will look to cement himself as the top fighter in the light heavyweight division.
Ankalaev is favored to do so at UFC 320. The co-main event is also a title fight, as Merab Dvalishvili tried to defend his bantamweight title against Cory Sandhagen.
When is UFC 320 Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2?
The UFC light heavyweight title fight, a rematch of the bout won seven months ago by Magomed Ankalaev, is set for Saturday, Oct. 4, with main event coverage beginning at 8 p.m. MT/9 p.m. CT. Walkouts for the main event are supposed to begin around 10:30 p.m. MT/11:30 p.m. CT.
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 4..
- Time: 4 p.m. MT/5 p.m. CT early prelims; 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT prelims; 8 p.m. MT/9 p.m. CT main event
- Location: T-Mobile Center, Las Vegas
- Ankalaev vs. Pereira main event ringwalks: Approximately 10:25 p.m. MT/11:25 p.m. CT
- TV channel/streaming: PPV via ESPN+ (Main fight card), ESPN, ESPN+ and Disney+ (Prelims), UFC Fight Pass (Early prelims)
- Price: $79.99 with a subscription to ESPN+. Subscriptions to ESPN plus cost $12.99 per month.
What channel is the UFC 320 Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 fight on
The UFC 320 fight between Ankalaev and Pereira will be available through pay-per-view in the US on ESPN+. It’s a $79.99 add-on to the monthly subscription.
The early preliminary bouts at 4 p.m. MT/5 p.m. CT, and the prelim fights at 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT are on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 odds
Ankalaev -275, Periera +210
UFC 320: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 predictions
Forbes: Ankalaev to win by decision
Trent Reinsmith writes: “If Pereira ignores the threat of the takedowns in this fight, he’s likely to get taken down. The reason he had success in the first fight was because he was so focused on that aspect of the fight. If he puts that aside and focuses on striking, he’s likely to open himself up to the takedowns. In short, Pereira’s in a tough spot and he’s simply not well-rounded enough to deal with everything Ankalaev brings to the table.”
MMA News’ Pranav Pandey: Pereira to win
Pandey writes: “Honestly, predicting this one has me torn. Both fighters bring incredible skill, and it could go either way. Still, I’m leaning toward Pereira to finally get the job done that slipped through his fingers last time. “Poatan’s” time to shine, but this is not going to be an easy night for him.”
MMA News’ Thomas Albano: Ankalaev to win
Albano writes: “Ultimately, the question here will be if Pereira is going to be able to make the adjustments from the first fight. His offense was completely neutralized by Ankalaev in March. He has claimed that he wasn’t at 100 percent for the fight (a fair argument perhaps given his activity level in 2024), but the UFC 313 bout showed that Ankalaev has what it takes to stop Pereira’s creative and powerful striking over the course of 25 minutes. And while I don’t want to count Chama out, if Ankalaev was able to do that once, what’s to say he won’t be able to do it again?”
BetMGM: Ankalaev to win by unanimous decision
Anatoly Pimentel writes: “I predict that Ankalaev will win again by unanimous decision against Pereira in this championship rematch because he will impose his grappling more urgently and earlier compared to the first fight.
“I never expected both of them to thrive in each other’s game in their first meeting, with Ankalev landing more significant strikes and Pereira successfully defending all the takedown attempts by the Russian.
“However, Ankalaev has found the Achilles’ heel of Pereira by putting him on the back foot and constantly pressuring him for the majority of the bout. This took away the rhythm and combinations of “Poatan” because he’s not used to fighting when he’s on retreat.”
UFC 320: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 full fight card
Main Card (8 p.m. MT/9 p.m. CT)
- Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira 2 for Ankalaev’s men’s UFC light-heavyweight title
- Merab Dvalishvili vs Cory Sandhagen for Dvalishvili’s men’s UFC bantamweight title
- Jiri Prochazka vs Khalil Rountree Jr, light heavyweight
- Josh Emmett vs Youssef Zalal, featherweight
- Abus Magomedov vs Joe Pyfer, middleweight
Prelims (6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT)
- Ateba Gautier vs Tre’ston Vines, middleweight
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs Andre Muniz, middleweight
- Chris Gutierrez vs Farid Basharat, bantamweight
- Daniel Santos vs JooSang Yoo, featherweight
Early Prelims (4 p.m. MT/5 p.m. CT)
- Macy Chiasson vs Yana Santos, women’s bantamweight
- Patchy Mix vs Jakub Wiklacz, bantamweight
- Punahele Soriano vs Nikolay Veretennikov, welterweight
- Ramiz Brahimaj vs Austin Vanderford, welterweight
- Veronica Hardy vs Brogan Walker, women’s flyweight
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
