UFC320 at the T-Mobile Centre Arena in Paradise, Nevada, was originally scheduled to take place in Guadalajara, Mexico.
However, due to construction issues, it was then relocated to San Antonio, Texas. A week later, it was announced that the card would be moved to Las Vegas.
This event had 14 fights, with eight stoppages, including two submissions and six fights going the distance, with four of those on the early preliminary card.
TOP PERFORMER: ALEX PEREIRA
Alex Pereira and his team tried to tell anyone who would listen that in the first fight at UFC313 in March, Pereira was not right and suffering from some kind of injury. However, Ankalaev’s team was not having it and vowed to prove these were just excuses.
That set up the rematch nicely, not that it needed any more spice on the build-up. Pereira looked determined from the first bell and closed the distance in an instant. He backed up Ankalaev, and it was clear he was looking to make a statement.
Pereira caught Ankalaev with a big overhand right, forcing the Russian to clinch. That allowed Pereira to easily get on top and drop heavy elbows to the body and head, forcing Herb Dean to stop the fight after just 90 seconds for redemption.
TOP PERFORMER2: JIRI PROCHAZKA
The fight between Prochazka and Rountree Jr was effectively a title eliminator in the light heavyweight division. Both had fought and lost to Pereira, but neither had fought Ankalaev.
Prochazka had only lost to Pereira in his eight fights in the UFC, so a redemption fight was on the cards. However, he got off to a slow start and seemed to have trouble with his footing. Rountree Jr was fighting well and got the better of Jiri in the first two rounds.
Jiri knew he needed a stoppage and seemed to flick a switch in the third. He backed up Rountree Jr with lefts, rights, and kicks. Rountree looked troubled, and Jiri saw his chance, connecting with a vicious left hook to send Rountree Jr down and out for a superb come-from-behind victory.
TOP PERFORMER3: JOE PYFER
“Be like Joe Pyfer” has been a mantra since Joe came into the UFC after securing a contract in explosive fashion on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. Since then, you can say he had a bit of pressure on his shoulders.
Since then, he has had six fights in the UFC with five wins, only losing to Hermansson via unanimous decision. With three performance of the night bonuses from five wins, it’s clear to say he is an exciting fighter.
His latest win on the main card of UFC320 saw another fight of the night bonus as he destroyed Abusupiyan Magomedov in under two minutes. Showing versatility by putting the Russian to sleep with a nasty face crank choke, to stay undefeated.
Honourable Mentions
Merab Dvalishvili would have been in the top three performers had he stopped Sandhagen in the second round, which he was very close to. However, Cory showed durability to survive. However, Merab showed his exceptional wrestling and cardio to dominate Sandhagen like no other had for a third title defence this year.
Youssef Zalal had a statement win against a veteran and dangerous fighter, Josh Emmett, in under two minutes. Zalah knew he had to stay away from Emmett’s power and showed intelligence and grappling skills to take Emmett down instantly, then patience to work his way into a neat armbar submission for an impressive victory.
