The UFC announced the foundation of its fall schedule on Tuesday, including three title fights in October.
Alex Pereira will attempt to reclaim the light heavyweight championship in an immediate rematch against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas. On the same card, Merab Dvalishvili will meet Cory Sandhagen, seeking his third bantamweight title defense.
And newly-elevated heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looks to move on from the 12-month saga that was Jon Jones’ retirement announcement in an undisputed title defense against Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321 on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi.
Let’s have an early reaction to each of the UFC title fight announcements. Also, ESPN betting analyst Ian Parker provides early best bets on all three title fights.
1. Let’s avoid the name “Jon Jones” in the buildup to Aspinall vs. Gane
I motion we completely ignore Jones between now and Oct. 25, because Jones will likely beg for attention at various points leading up to this fight.
Jones held up the heavyweight division as a champion for nearly a year, just to make the disappointing announcement of retirement. In doing so, he showed no respect for Aspinall’s time and probably hurt his legacy, as fans will likely never forget the dissatisfaction of his perceived “ducking” of Aspinall. All of this only to, in typical Jones fashion, announce he intends to return to the sport in 2026.
Jones is still the greatest MMA fighter of all time, and as I wrote when he retired, he never owed us the Aspinall fight. He’s allowed to walk away. But, the way he’s chosen to walk away is silly, and in the meantime, other heavyweights are ready to compete. Aspinall (15-3) is a legitimate superstar-level talent. He deserves 100 percent of our attention — in a way that isn’t in any way connected to Jones.
So, respectfully, let’s ignore Jones ahead of UFC 321. There’s no reason to mention him when Gane (13-2) is Aspinall’s opponent. Jones could have fought Aspinall in what would have been the biggest event of the year. He could have had all the attention he could have ever wanted, but he opted against it. So, let’s give that attention to Aspinall vs. Gane.
1:58
Merab Dvalishvili stops Sean O’Malley in dominant fashion to retain belt
Merab Dvalishvili celebrates after a massive win over Sean O’Malley in a rematch of their bout to retain the title at UFC 316.
2. Merab Dvalishvili’s 2025 run could surpass Alex Pereira’s 2024
It’s fitting these two will share this UFC 320 event, because Dvalishvili has channeled some serious Chama energy in 2025.
I don’t know how possible it is for Dvalishvili to pass Islam Makhachev or Ilia Topuria on the pound-for-pound rankings, but if he beats Sandhagen (18-5), I will consider moving him up. Dvalishvili might not be moving up in weight like Makhachev and Topuria, but his activity regarding title defenses is of the same difficulty level as moving up.
Dvalishvili (20-4) didn’t even want to face Umar Nurmagomedov in January. At that time, he wanted to take some time off, and reportedly, he went into that title defense with several undisclosed injuries. No problem. Dvalishvili not only upset Nurmagomedov in a five-round decision, he then turned around in just five months for a rematch against Sean O’Malley, who was firmly motivated and well-trained for that fight. I don’t think O’Malley looked bad in that rematch, Dvalishvili is just that good. And now Dvalishvili heads into his third title defense in 10 months. That is BMF-type behavior.
The storylines around Aspinall’s first title defense and Pereira’s shot at revenge will probably overshadow Dvalishvili’s remarkable activity come fall. And that’s a shame, because Dvalishvili might be the best fighter in the world right now.
1:28
Magomed Ankalaev defeats Alex Pereira to become new light heavyweight champ
Magomed Ankalaev quiets the Las Vegas crowd as he beats Alex Pereira via unanimous decision to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
3. It’s not the fight we wanted for Pereira, but I’ll go all in
Let me explain. I would have much rather seen Pereira move to heavyweight to be the first opponent for Aspinall.
Following Jones’ retirement, I wanted to see Aspinall in the most high-profile matchup possible, which would have been a fight against Pereira. But Pereira (12-3) is much more suited to fight at light heavyweight instead of moving up a division, and this rematch against Ankalaev (21-1-1) is still a good fight.
But I’m not going to let that stop me from now fully buying into this Pereira-Ankalaev rematch. It’s Pereira’s opportunity to recover from a loss against the man who just handed it to him, and that should be enough motivation. It’s completely different from his long rivalry with the great Israel Adesanya, which featured four fights across MMA and kickboxing.
In 2024, you couldn’t get away from Pereira if you tried. He fought three times over seven months and attended UFC events when he wasn’t. This year, he’s been virtually silent since the loss to Ankalev. He’s also stated he was dealing with several medical issues ahead of their first meeting. There’s a lot of intrigue as to how different he’ll look in this rematch, against a stylistic matchup that is not to his advantage.
Parker’s early bets for UFC 320/321 title fights
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira
Ankalaev won by decision in their first fight and it is hard to think the rematch goes any differently. Although Pereira had a very successful takedown defense, he was still outstruck by Ankalaev throughout the fight. I expect a confident Ankalaev to have more striking success, which will allow him to wrestle if necessary. I would take the over and look at Ankalaev if he is anything less than -200.
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen
In what should be a very high-paced bantamweight fight, Dvalishvili will be looking to continue his successful title run against Sandhagen, who is the better striker. But I believe Dvalishvili’s pace and wrestling are too much for anyone to handle in this weight class. Unless Sandhagen lands something that can knock Dvalishvili out, I expect Sanhagen to be on his back for the majority of the fight. The over will more than likely be 4.5 rounds; however, Merab by decision is the way to go.
Tom Aspinall vs. Cyril Gane
Aspinall will defend his heavyweight belt after a 15-month layoff and will do so against the No. 1 contender in Gane. On the feet, this is a 50-50 fight with Gane being the more technical kickboxer while Aspinall is the more explosive athlete with knockout power. The difference will be Aspinall’s grappling and jiu-jitsu. Gane was submitted by Jon Jones in Round 1 in March 2023, so it wouldn’t shock me if Aspinall takes that same path. Go with Aspinall to win inside the distance, and if you are feeling greedy, take him to win by submission.
