Is UFC 320 the Biggest War of Pereira’s Career?

On October 4, 2025, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the fans of mixed martial arts’ biggest promotion, the one and only Ultimate Fighting Championship, will be in for a treat. The next big event is due when UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 comes around, another championship clash featuring two familiar faces. This could very well be the biggest match in his career so far. 

Back in March, the roles were reversed when Ankalaev won the UFC light heavyweight championship by defeating Pereira via unanimous decision. With 10 other matches across three cards, and a bantamweight championship bout between current champion Maerab Dvalishvilli and Cory Sandhagen as the co headline event, it will be an amazing night of professional combat sport. 

Alex Pereira’s Exclusive Stake Interview 

In preparation for the big night and a chance to reclaim the prestigious title belt, Stake sat down for an exclusive interview with Alex Pereira, one of their UFC ambassadors. In the discussion, the fighter revealed crucial information about the event, gave opinions, and made some predictions. 

Answering if he feels the belt is naturally his and if he is trying to put it back where it belongs, he said, “For sure. Even in the last fight, there were always a lot of people saying, “Who’s going to be able to take the belt from me?” and all these things. So, yeah, it was upsetting, but now I have the chance to show my work again and work on doing better and being different.” Spoken like a true champion. 

Commenting on the outcome of the Prochazka and Rountree fight as someone who fought them both, he said, “It’s hard to say. You know, I think Jiri has really great movement and footwork. Khalil is very good as well, but I think it might be a little complicated for him because of all the movement of Jiri. It could be a tough fight.” Betting fans, listen closely! 

Talking briefly about the Dvalishvilli vs Sandhagen, Pereira simply said, “I’m so focused on my fight. I know Merab is fighting that night, but I don’t know anything else about the card, to be honest.”

Going back a bit and his iconic rivalry with Adesanya, Pereira agreed the experience helped him a lot. “I think it was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, rivalries in the company. We were always respectful; there was never anything aggressive or anything like that. I definitely think it’s a rivalry that’s going to go down in the history of the UFC.”

If he were not a fighter, he “would work in a tyre shop.” Talking bout his training ritual, kept it real and simple: “There’s no special rituals, it’s just keeping my focus, staying concentrated throughout camp and on fight day.” The main advice he would give his younger self after everything that happened would be, “keep moving forward and keep the discipline and not give up because great things are going to happen.

UFC 320 Odds and Predictions 

As the next big MMA event draws near, it is high time for the fans to find the right UFC 320 sportsbook and check the latest odds and predictions for the fights. Opening up the event will be a women’s flyweight bout between the Venezuelan Veronica Hardy and the Guamanian Brogan Walker. Hardy has a 9-5-1 record and 3 wins and 2 losses in her last 5. Walker has an 8-4-0 career record, but has lost her previous 2 fights. Therefore, the former is an absolute favorite with 1.16 odds against the latter’s 5.20 odds.

Next up is a bantamweight bout between two new fighters. The American, Patchy Mix, has a career record of 20-2-0, while the debutant from Poland, Jakub Wiklaz, is at 16-3-2 right now. Patchy is the favorite with 1.43 odds, while Wiklacz gets 2.85 for his first UFC fight.

The third and final early preliminary matchup is a women’s bantamweight where USA rank 5 Macy Chasson faces Russian rank 10 Yana Santos. Chasson has a record of 11-4-0 and 3 wins in her previous 5. Santos has won 2 out of their last 5 and has a 16-8-0 career record. The American fighter is the favorite here as she got 1.42 odds going up against the Russian with 2.90. 

On to the preliminary card, there are three more fights to enjoy. First up it is Chris Gutierrez from America versus Farid Basharat from Afghanistan. Gutierrez is much more experienced with a record of 22-6-2, winning 3 out of his last 5. The Afghan fighter has a perfect 13-0-0 record and 4 wins in his last 5. This means that Basharat is the favorite, and a heavy one at that, with 1.29 odds against Gutierezz’s 3.60. 

Edmen Shahbazyan and Andre Muniz will duke it out in the middleweight category, another matchup against unevenly experienced fighters. Shabayazan of the USA has 15-5-0 and 3-2 recently, while his Brazilian opponent is 2-3 recently but with a 24-7-0 career record. The bookies give the former better chances with 1.40 odds, while the latter is at 2.95. 

The final preliminary card duel will see Ateba Gautier from Cameroon face Ozzy Diaz from the USA. Gauiter has an 8-1-0 record and has won his last 2, whereas Diaz is 1-1 recently, but has fought more overall with a 10-3-0 record. Although it seems close on paper, Gautier is a huge favorite with the biggest odds discrepancy of the event, 1.12 to 6.20 odds. Diaz appears without a chance, which can be a hidden advantage.

Opening the main card will be Abis Magomedov from Germany against Joe Pyfer from the USA. Magomedov is much more experienced, 3-2 in his last 5 and 28-6-1 overall. Pyfer has 4-1 recently and a career record of 14-3-0. This middleweight clash has Pyfer as the favorite with 1.43 odds, while Magomedov gets 2.85. 

Next up is a featherweight fight between rank 8 Josh Emmett and rank 9 Youssef Zalal, both representing the USA. Emmett has 2-3 recently and 19-5-0 overall. Zalal has been more successful lately with 4-1 and has a 17-5-1 overall record. This gives Zalal the edge in the odds as he is favored with 1.28 odds, as opposed to Emmett’s 3.75. 

Jiri Prochazka from Czechia, the rank 2 light heavyweight, will face rank 4 American Khalil Rountree Jr. Prochazka is 3-2 as of late, while Rountree Jr. is 4-1. The Czech fighter is the favorite with 1.54 odds, as he is the more experienced fighter with 31-5-1. The American is the underdog with 2.50 odds and a 15-6-0 career record.

The second to last duel is a bantamweight co main event of the night, with Merab Dvalishvili the fellow Stake ambassador will be fighting alongside Alex at UFC 320. The champion of the category aims to hold onto the title against the rank 4 challenger, Cory Sandhagen. The Georgian champ has won 5 out of his last 5, while the title hopeful American has a 4-1 recent record. Overall, Dvalishvilli is a 20-4-0 career fighter, while Sandhagen follows him with 18-5-0. Without much surprise, the Georgian is the favorite to defend the title with 1.25 odds. Sandhagen gets 4.00 odds to become the next bantamweight UFC champion.

Finally, the main event of the night and the headline fight of UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2. The UFC 313 rematch, when Ankalaev won, took place in March of this year, and the tension remains high this time around. Pereira, the rank 1 light heavyweight fighter out of Brazil, is a 12-3-0 career fighter who has won 4 out of his last 5. Ankalaev is more experienced with 21-1-1 and 3-1-1 in his last 5. Pereira is the underdog in his quest to regain the title with 2.70 odds, while the Russian champion has 1.47 odds to defend his title against a known opponent whom he already defeated to capture the belt. 

“Numbered” UFC Events Facts and Trivia 

• UFC 1 Was a No Holds Barred Experiment
  The first numbered UFC event, UFC 1, took place on November 12, 1993, in Denver, Colorado. It was a tournament to determine the most effective martial art, with virtually no ruleslike weight classes, time limits, and very few fouls. Royce Gracie won the event using Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, shocking many and laying the foundation for modern MMA.
• UFC 100 Was a Milestone Spectacle
  UFC 100, held on July 11, 2009, was a landmark event for the promotion. It featured huge names like Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre, and Dan Henderson. It broke pay per view records at the time with over 1.6 million buys, and signified how far the UFC had come in just 16 years.
• UFC 229 Holds the Pay Per View Record
  UFC 229, headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor, remains the most watched UFC event in history. In October 2018, it generated a staggering 2.4 million PPV buys. The post fight brawl after Khabib’s submission victory only added to its notoriety.
• UFC 151 Was Officially Cancelled
  UFC 151 was scheduled to take place in September 2012, but it became the first numbered event in history to be canceled. The main event between Jon Jones and Dan Henderson fell apart due to injury. Replacement efforts failed, and the cancellation marked a significant moment that led to a reevaluation of fighter matchmaking and event depth.
• UFC 205 Was the First in New York After Legalization
  After a decades long ban on professional MMA in New York, UFC 205 was the first event held in the state following legalization. Taking place at Madison Square Garden in November 2016, it featured three title fights and saw Conor McGregor become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously.
• UFC 193 Set the Attendance Record
  UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, set the UFC attendance record with over 56,000 fans in Etihad Stadium. It was headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm, a fight that ended in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history when Holm knocked out Rousey in the second round.
• UFC 94 Popularized the Superfight Concept
  UFC 94 featured a highly anticipated superfight between Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn, both champions in different weight classes. Their bout was a major commercial success and helped solidify the concept of superfights, champions facing off across divisions. It has since become a regular draw for the UFC.
• UFC Numbering Does Not Match Chronological Order
  Due to event cancellations, rescheduling, and promotional decisions, the UFC’s numbering system does not match the actual order of events. Some events have taken place out of sequence. Numbered events were sometimes promoted before earlier numbered cards took place, leading to confusion among fans and media.

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