Dana White Reveals Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2, Merab vs. Sandhagen Set for UFC 320 in Las Vegas

Dana White announced two massive world title tilts for the UFC’s return to Las Vegas this fall.

On Thursday, White revealed that UFC 320 on October 4 will be headlined by a highly anticipated rematch between reigning light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev and former two-division titleholder Alex Pereira.

Pereira surrendered the 205-pound crown to Ankalaev in March following a lackluster performance against the Russian knockout artist. Before that, Pereira successfully defended the title three times, earning highlight-reel KOs against Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. Even more impressive is the fact that ‘Poatan’ made UFC history with the trio of wins, logging the shortest time for three consecutive title defenses at just 175 days.

Following the loss to Ankalaev, White made it clear that an immediate rematch between the two would be a top priority.

Dana White wasn’t done there.

Also announced was the UFC 320 co-main event, which will see bantamweight great Merab Dvalishvili put his belt on the line for the third time against division mainstay Cory Sandhagen.

‘The Machine’ has been downright unstoppable since 2018, winning 13 straight inside the Octagon, including an absolutely dominant third-round submission victory over Sean O’Malley in their midly anticipated rematch at UFC 316.

The ‘Sandman’ punched his ticket to a title opportunity in May, landing a TKO win over former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines. Sandhagen currently sits as the fourth-ranked contender in the bantamweight division, winning four of his last five.

While also revealed that former light heavyweight titleholder Jiri Prochazka will return to the Octagon at UFC 320 for what is sure to be a hard-hitting affair against one-time title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr.