Magomed Ankalaev goes for his first UFC light heavyweight title defense against Alex Pereira in the main event at UFC 320 in Las Vegas on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN PPV, with prelims at 8 on ESPNEWS/ESPN+/Disney+/FX and early prelims at 6 on ESPN+/Disney+/FX).
Ankalaev beat Pereira by unanimous decision to claim the belt at UFC 313 in March. Ankalaev, ESPN’s No. 7-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, has not lost a fight since March 2018. Pereira, a former champion at middleweight and light heavyweight, was riding a five-win streak before the loss to Ankalaev. Pereira is ESPN’s No. 9-ranked pound-for-pound fighter.
In the co-main event, Cory Sandhagen gets his first crack at UFC gold when he challenges Merab Dvalishvili for the men’s bantamweight championship. Dvalishvili, No. 3 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings, is going for his third title defense since winning the belt at UFC 306 in September 2024. Sandhagen, ESPN’s No. 5-ranked bantamweight, beat Deiveson Figueiredo by second-round knockout at a UFC Fight Night in May to earn a title shot.
On Friday, PFL action returns as the promotion hosts PFL Champions Series Dubai at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN Unlimited). In the main event, Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes will square off in a rematch for the lightweight title. Nurmagomedov won the first fight by majority decision in January.
ESPN MMA analysts and commentators provide their UFC title fight predictions, and ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight on the value bets available on both fight cards.
UFC light heavyweight title fight
I don’t like giving excuses, but I can’t ignore the fact that it was very clear that Pereira was extremely sick for 10 days leading into the first fight. He was overworked and overtraveled. With a reset and some rest, I believe he will show his actual potential. Ankalaev fought to his highest potential in the first one. Pereira was nowhere close to his best. — Anthony Smith
I almost always favor the guy who has more ways to win. Ankalaev fought the first fight during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, so with this fight being outside of Ramadan, I think Ankalaev should have a little more energy, more pep in his step. He should be quicker this time around. He’s going to be able to get takedowns and land more shots to win a decision. — Din Thomas
Betting analysis
Odds accurate as of Oct. 1. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET
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Parker: Ankalaev to win (-260); over 2.5 rounds. To get the win, Pereira must defend takedowns as well as he did in the first fight and let his hands go. He can’t allow Ankalaev to dictate the pace and narrative of the fight.
Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening for Pereira. I expect this to play out like the first fight, with the possibility of Ankalaev landing a couple of takedowns. Parlaying Ankalaev to win with over 2.5 rounds should get you close to even odds, which is a tremendous value play if you believe this fight is going the distance.
UFC men’s bantamweight title fight
Sandhagen might be the most well-rounded fighter in the division. He’s definitely the most dangerous finisher, but he has a weakness and that’s high pressure, high-level wrestlers. I love Sandhagen’s game and his style, but he hasn’t shown the ability to stop well-conditioned, high-pace wrestlers who engages a lot. He needs a finish to win, but Dvalishvili has been unstoppable. — Smith
Merab is constantly getting better. Sandhagen is really good about solving puzzles, but Dvalishvili is always adding things to his game that Sandhagen probably hasn’t seen. Dvalishvili will be able to get the job done — by decision, obviously, we are talking about Merab here. — Thomas
Betting analysis
Parker: Dvalishvili to win by decision (-210). Dvalishvili has been flawless in his title reign so far, and I believe that run continues against Sandhagen. While Sandhagen is good, Dvalishvili just keeps pushing forward. For Sandhagen to win, he will need a knockout or an opportunity to capitalize on a mistake by Dvalishvili. This fight should be a fun one, but it has Dvalishvili to win by decision written all over it.
Parker’s best bets on the rest of the UFC 320 fight card
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Jiří Procházka drops Jamahal Hill en route to TKO win
Jiří Procházka defeats Jamahal Hill via TKO in Round 3 after a series of brutal knockdowns.
Light heavyweight: Jiří Procházka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Rountree to win (+145). I’m surprised Rountree is an underdog in this matchup. Unless Procházka has become a phenomenal wrestler, this fight will stay on the feet, which favors Rountree, the better striker. Rountree is precise and has tremendous power in both his hands and feet. Unless Procházka catches him early, the underdog will pull off the upset.
Welterweight: Punahele Soriano vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
Soriano to win (-270). Soriano should have no problem getting the win here. He is better everywhere the fight can go. Veretennikov has been rocked and almost finished in both of his fights this year, and if he gets rocked by Soriano, I doubt he has the durability to recover. Soriano could also wrestle here, as Veretennikov presents no threat of submissions off his back. Put Soriano to win in your parlay, and if you want to grab a prop for plus odds, Soriano by knockout can be a good value play.
Parker’s best bets for PFL Champions Series Dubai
Lightweight title fight: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes
Fight to go the distance. This should be another epic five-round fight. The first fight is a contender for fight of the year, so I expect nothing less in the rematch. However, I don’t expect Nurmagomedov to underestimate Hughes the way he did in the first matchup. This time around, Nurmagomedov knows what to expect, which will help him gameplan better.
For Hughes, if he can defend the takedowns and keep the bout standing, it becomes an even matchup. But if he allows Nurmagomedov to implement his wrestling and dictate the pace of the fight, he will end up losing again. Considering how close the last fight was and how durable both fighters are, take the fight to go the distance.
Light heavyweight: Corey Anderson vs. Dovlet Yagshimuradov
Anderson to win by KO/TKO/decision. Another rematch will decide who wins the PFL light heavyweight championship. In the first fight at Bellator 257 in April 2021, Anderson dominated with his wrestling and won by third-round TKO. Yagshimuradov then won last year’s PFL tournament with a win over Impa Kasanganay, while Anderson moved up to heavyweight and defeated Denis Goltsov. In the rematch with Yagshimuradov, I am taking Anderson. As long as Anderson avoids Yagshimuradov’s power, he should have no problem closing the distance to utilize his wrestling and pace to tire out Yagshimuradov. Look for Anderson to win by TKO or decision.
