Latest news with #AlexPereira
Forbes
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 320 Main Event: Magomed Ankalaev Vs. Alex Pereira 2 Opening Odds
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: (L-R) Alex Pereira of Brazil touches gloves with Magomed Ankalaev of ... More Russia in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 313 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) UFC 320 has a main event, and that main event is a light heavyweight title fight rematch. On Saturday, October 4, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, current UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev puts his title on the line against the man he took the belt from, Alex Pereira. We look at the opening betting odds for the Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 matchup. UFC 320 Fight Card Main Event: Magomed Ankalaev Vs. Alex Pereira 2 Opening Betting Odds Not long after UFC CEO Dana White announced the UFC 320 main event, BetOnline came out with betting lines for the fight. Ankalaev opened as the -220 betting favorite over Pereira in their upcoming rematch. Pereira opened as the +185 betting underdog. Less than 24 hours since White announced the matchup, Ankalaev has dropped to -200, while Pereira is now +170. UFC 320 Fight Card Main Event: Magomed Ankalaev Vs. Alex Pereira 2 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Magomed Ankalaev of Russia reacts after a unanimous-decision victory ... More against Alex Pereira of Brazil in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 313 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1-1) has been a member of the UFC roster since 2018. Ankalaev lost his UFC debut when Paul Craig submitted him at 4:59 of the third round. Since then, Ankalaev has gone 13 fights without a loss. Ankalaev secured a title fight in December 2022 when he faced former UFC champion Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight crown. However, that contest ended in a split draw, and with neither man impressing the matchmakers in that matchup, the UFC opted not to give either man a second go at earning the belt. Since then, Ankalaev is 2-0-0-1 with a no contest (illegal knee) against Johnny Walker, and most recently a decision win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308. When the UFC opted to give UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira a fight against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 and bypass Ankalaev, he felt snubbed by the promotion, but also motivated. 'Now everybody knows I'm not fighting for the title and will fight Rakic in Abu Dhabi. Whoever (UFC matchmaker) Mick Maynard gives me I will smash their face so that they can no longer deny me if I do my job impressively. I feel sorry for whoever is gonna fight me from now going forward,' Ankalaev said at the time. Not long after that, Ankalaev said that Pereira was running from him. When the UFC booked the UFC 313 matchup between Ankalaev opened as the -200 favorite over Pereira, who was listed at +170. On fight night, Pereira had moved to a -120 betting favorite over the +100 Ankalaev. The bout lasted 25 minutes. At the end of the contest, Ankalaev earned a unanimous decision win (49-46, 48-47, 48-47). LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: (R-L) Magomed Ankalaev of Russia strikes Alex Pereira of Brazil in the ... More UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 313 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) At the time, I wrote of Ankalaev, "Magomed Ankalaev and his team put together, implemented, and stuck with a strong game plan for Saturday's fight against Alex Pereira. The strategy was to pressure Pereira, land effective strikes, keep the threat of a takedown in Pereira's head, and exploit his lack of defensive movement. Ankalaev did just that, seeming to freeze Pereira over the final 20 minutes of the fight and avoid taking any serious damage. "Fans might not have liked the performance, and the UFC is most likely not going to be overjoyed to see the light heavyweight title move from a knockout artist like Pereira to a fighter like Ankalaev, who is known more for decisions than stoppages, but that's where they are following UFC 313. 'Ankalaev fought smartly and effectively, managing risk while doing enough damage to carry all three scorecards. Fans don't have to like it, but there's no controversy in the decision.' LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Alex Pereira of Brazil enters the Octagon in the UFC light heavyweight ... More championship fight during the UFC 313 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Alex Pereira (12-3) began 2023 by losing his UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya by knockout. In July, Pereira followed that setback with a win over former UFC light heavyweight title holder, Jan Błachowicz, in his UFC debut at 205 pounds. He finished the year by knocking out ex-UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jiří Procházka at UFC 295 to claim the vacant UFC 205-pound title. Pereira made his first defense of his crown in April when he knocked out(another) ex-UFC light heavyweight champ, Jamahal Hill, in the first round of their UFC 300 matchup. Pereira showed his power is on another level, when he finished Hill 3:14 into the first round of the main event of UFC 300. In June, on very short notice, the UFC called on Pereira and Procházka to headline UFC 303 when the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight fell off that card. After the bout, which Pereira won via a knockout 13 seconds into the second stanza, I wrote: "Pereira showed that his first win over Prochazka wasn't a fluke. The UFC light heavyweight champ is a fearsome fighter who packs a lot of power in his strikes, but he's also an extremely focused competitor who doesn't let anything bother him. 'Pereira effectively scored two knockouts on Saturday night, blasting former champion Jiri Prochazka to the mat at the bell to end the first round and then sending him right back down in the opening moments of the second round with a head kick.' In August the UFC booked Pereira against Khalil Rountree Jr for the main event of UFC 307, which took place on October 5. Pereira outclassed Rountree, putting a beating on his opponent before scoring a fourth-round TKO win. Pereira picked up his third UFC title defense of 2024 on Saturday night. Pereira let his opponent, Khalil Rountree Jr, tire himself out in the early going of the fight while simultaneously slowing him with powerful kicks to Rountree's lead leg. Pereira picked up the pace in the third round, fighting very effectively behind his jab. That jab opened up several nasty cuts around Rountree's eye and on the bridge of his nose. Those blows hurt Rountree, and once Pereira had Rountree fading, he picked him apart with precision and power, forcing the referee, Marc Goddard, to stop the fight in the fourth round. Goddard could have stopped this much sooner. Pereira was in the running for fighter of the year for 2024. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Alex Pereira of Brazil reacts after the UFC light heavyweight ... More championship fight against Magomed Ankalaev of Russia during the UFC 313 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Following his UFC 313 loss to Ankalaev, I wrote the following about the vanquished champion: "Alex Pereira lost his UFC light heavyweight title on Saturday night, falling by unanimous decision to Magomed Ankalaev. Pereira did not seem to have a game plan to answer the pressure and forward motion of his opponent. With Ankalaev leading the dance in the final 20 minutes, Pereira seemed unable or unwilling to switch the momentum of the fight. It was a puzzling performance from the man who entered UFC 313 with an aura of invincibility about him. 'Pereira's inability to fight off his back foot and inability to keep his head off the center line while defending strikes were especially noticeable on Saturday night.' We will have more on UFC 320, including opening betting odds for the co-main event.
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev 2 confirmed as UFC 320 ends with title double-header
UFC CEO Dana White has announced that Magomed Ankalaev 's rematch against Alex Pereira will headline UFC 320 in Las Vegas. Ankalaev will defend the light-heavyweight title he won against Pereira – at the same venue during UFC 313 in March – while the Brazilian will look to become champion of the division for the second time, after three previous successful defences of the title he won in late 2023. 'Alright, UFC 320, 4 October, T-Mobile [Arena], Las Vegas, the champ Magomed Ankalaev defends his belt against Alex Pereira,' said White in a video uploaded to social media. 'The co-main event for that fight will be Merab [Dvalishvili] versus Cory Sandhagen. Merab is on a 13-fight win streak, Sandhagen is ranked No 3,' added White. That co-main event will see Dvalishvili and Sandhagen face off for the bantamweight title, with the Georgian defending the belt he won in September of last year. Sandhagen is ranked fourth in the division, though Dvalishvili has recently defended his title against both Sean O'Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov, who are ranked No 1 and 2 respectively. 'Another fight on that card is Jiri Prochazka versus Khalil Rountree. I don't need to say anything else, for those of you that know, you know,' added White at the end of his video. That pair are ranked No 2 and 4 respectively in the light-heavyweight division, with the victor likely to face the winner of the championship bout between Ankalaev and Pereira. In a similar video, White also announced that Tom Aspinall will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 321, where he'll defend his heavyweight title against former interim champion Cyril Gane. That event will take place in Abu Dhabi on 25 October. The promotion's next pay-per-view event comes on 17 August, when Dricus du Plessis faces Khamzat Chimaev in his third defence of the middleweight belt.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Next fights for Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira, Merab Dvalishvili announced in wave of UFC news
Several of the UFC's biggest names have their next marching orders. UFC CEO Dana White on Tuesday announced a quartet of big-time bouts for the second half of the year, including a trio of matchups for UFC 320 on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 for the UFC light heavyweight title, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen for the UFC bantamweight title, and Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. in a battle of light heavyweight top contenders. White also announced the first official defense of Tom Aspinall's undisputed UFC heavyweight championship, as the ferocious Brit collides against Ciryl Gane on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi at UFC 321. Pereira gets his Ankalaev rematch Between his star power and the somewhat controversial decision that ripped the light heavyweight belt out of his hands, there was little doubt Pereira would get a rematch. He's now set to step into the Octagon seven months after his first meeting with Ankalaev. While some had "Poaton" winning on their score cards, there's no denying Pereira looked listless (by his standards) at UFC 313. He has since revealed he nearly pulled out of the fight with injuries, which UFC commentator Joe Rogan claimed were a broken hand and norovirus. There was also the fact that it was his fourth title defense in the span of a year. Seven months will represent the longest layoff between fights in Pereira's UFC career, though Ankalaev's chances aren't to be discounted. The Russian has a game that could prove to Pereira's kryptonite, especially considering he won the belt despite going 0-for-12 in takedown attempts, which many thought was his only path to victory. That Prochazka vs. Rountree fight also sure looks like it will decide who gets the next crack at Ankalaev should he survive another go-round with Pereira. The future will be a little less clear if Pereira wins, as he's already beaten both of them convincingly (twice, in the case of Prochazka). Dvalishvili's quest to clear out 135 continues If Sandhagen can't surprise Dvalishvili, the UFC might be fresh out of ideas on how to unseat the relentless Georgian. In the span of six fights, Dvalishvili has beaten Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Sean O'Malley, Umar Nurmagomedov and the non-hair dye version of O'Malley. That's an absurd list, and it's not like these fights have been close despite all but the last one going to decision. Nearly every bout has seen Dvalishvili torturing a beleaguered opponent in the final rounds. Dvalishvili is also jumping back in only four months after the second O'Malley fight, so he's showing he has as little trouble with fatigue between fights as he does during them. Sandhagen, fourth on the UFC's official bantamweight rankings, earned the title shot with a dominant showing over Deiveson Figueiredo. He has promised to be aggressive against Dvalishvili, unlike certain other fighters. Of course, that's easier said than done. Aspinall's reign begins with a rare contender he hasn't already beaten Tom Aspinall's reign as heavyweight champion began about as anticlimactically as possible, thanks entirely to Jon Jones' approach to decision-making, and now he gets his first defense against one of the few guys at the top of the heavyweight rankings Aspinall hasn't already steamrolled. Gane is undefeated in his career except for his title shots against Jones and Francis Ngannou. He gets his chance third against a fighter who has looked even better as a UFC heavyweight than those guys. An Oct. 25 fight date means Aspinall will have gone around 15 months between fights, and that might be the only reason to bet against him. He has long been earmarked as a potential superstar for the UFC, and now he gets to finally act on that potential in Abu Dhabi.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Dana White Announces 3 Huge UFC 320 Fights, Including 2 Title Bouts
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 17: UFC President and CEO Dana White hosts the UFC 318 press ... More conference at Smoothie King Center on July 17, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Tuesday, July 22 was one of those days for UFC CEO Dana White. The face of the biggest MMA organization in the world dropped one of those fight info bombs. White announced four enormous fights for October that could reconstruct the championship landscape in the UFC. Let's start with UFC 320, which is set for Las Vegas on October 4. There are three huge fights confirmed. In the main event, reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev will rematch former two-division champion Alex Pereira. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Alex Pereira of Brazil ties up with Magomed Ankalaev of Russia in a ... More light heavyweight title fight during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) Ankalaev dethroned Pereira in a disputed decision at UFC 313 in March. The Brazilian gets a chance to win back his title before potentially making a move up to heavyweight. More on that division in a minute. The champion is riding an 12-fight win streak in the UFC. His only career loss came via submission in the final second of his UFC debut. The first fight with Pereira was razor-close, with Ankalaev using his grappling edge to edge out the win. In the co-main event of the Vegas card, reigning UFC men's bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will attempt to log his third successful title defense in the calendar year when he takes on Cory Sandhagen. Dvalishvili's strength of schedule has been unbelievable throughout his career. He's already arguably the best bantamweight in UFC history. But if he knocks off Sandhagen, he has to silence any critic that suggests he's not atop the mountain when it comes to 135-pounders. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 07: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts after his submission victory ... More against Sean O'Malley in the UFC bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 316 event at Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) Dvalishvili is on a 10-fight win streak with victories over Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and Sean O'Malley (twice). No one in bantamweight history has a better case for sustained excellence, especially when you consider the variety of styles he's dominated. A win over Sandhagen would make him a front runner for Fighter of the Year. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 06: Cory Sandhagen is seen on stage during a Q&A session prior to the UFC ... More 316 ceremonial weigh-in at Prudential Center on June 06, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) Sandhagen is a longtime contender who has never had his opportunity to fight for the title. He's getting his opportunity on October 4, and it is coming on what's shaping up to be a massive card. Here is a look at White's announcement: As if that wasn't enough, White also announced Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Jiri Prochazka on the main card. That fight could easily be a co-main event of a pay-per-view. On this card, it'll probably be a step down. The winner could be in a position to challenge for the title at 205 pounds. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 09: Khalil Rountree Jr. reacts after his knockout against Anthony Smith ... More in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 09, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) If Pereira wins, he'll probably move up and vacate the title. If he loses, the winner of Rountree–Prochazka would have as strong of a case as anyone besides No. 3 Carlos Ulberg for the title. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic enters the octagon in the UFC ... More light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 303 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) That's a healthy day's worth of major UFC announcements, but there was one more. White also announced the main event for UFC 321 on October 20 in Abu Dhabi. Newly crowned undisputed heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will make his first title defense against Ciryl Gane. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Tom Aspinall of England reacts to defeating Sergei Pavlovich of ... More Russia by TKO in the interim UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) While this matchup doesn't jump out as a mouthwatering fight, it is good to see the heavyweight title back in the mix with some clarity around it and the champion. Aspinall is finally getting a chance to move on with his life and to prove he's a legit world champion. Gane has struggled to look world-class for years.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Next fights for Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira, Merab Dvalishvili announced in wave of UFC news
Several of the UFC's biggest names have their next marching orders. UFC CEO Dana White on Tuesday announced a quartet of big-time matchups for the second half of the year, including a trio of matchups for UFC 320 on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 for the UFC light heavyweight title, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen for the UFC bantamweight title, and Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree in a battle of light heavyweight top contenders. White also announced the first official defense of Tom Aspinall's undisputed UFC heavyweight championship, as the ferocious Brit collides against Ciryl Gane on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi at UFC 321. More on this story in a moment.
