UFC 320 Betting Tips: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2
Two championship fights headline a stacked UFC 320 card in Las Vegas this weekend.
Alex Pereira looks to regain his Light Heavyweight title in a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev in the main event.
While the co-main sees Merab Dvalishvili attempt to make the third defence of his Bantamweight title this calendar year against Cory Sandhagen.
Here are our best bets for Saturday night's MMA card.
Tip 1 – Over 3.5 rounds - Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira @ 7/10
Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1) and Alex Pereira (12-3-0) go head-to-head once more for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
Ankalaev won the pair’s first encounter at UFC 313 in March where he looked dominant on the feet against the hard-hitting Brazilian when many expected him to wrestle.
Pereira looked reluctant to engage with Ankalaev, a contrasting figure to the one who had previously won and defended the title with knockouts of Jiří Procházka (twice), Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr.
Accomplishing two division championship status in just seven UFC fights shows the rate at which the Brazilian came to dominate the sport after transitioning from kickboxing.
The threat of wrestling has always looked to be his kryptonite, with the danger of Ankalaev’s Dagestani Sambo wrestling upbringing seemingly a constant in the back of his mind.
Unlike many other Dagestani fighters, Ankalaev uses his wrestling as a secondary base, instead preferring to kickbox and win his fights on the feet.
The 33-year-olds ugly draw with Jan Błachowicz when fighting for the Interim title in 2022 slowed his progress in getting back to the belt, with more recent wins against Johnny Walker (R2 - TKO) and Aleksandar Rakić (UD) earning an undeniable shot at undisputed gold.
Whether at 38 years old Pereira has what it takes to win back his belt is the question, either way a last hoorah at Heavyweight could beckon.
A knockout is his most likely path to victory, however Ankalaev showed in the first fight he is more than durable and could well outpoint Pereira once more.
Just like the first fight this one could go long again and over 3.5 rounds is the pick.
Tip 2 – Merab Dvalishvili to Win & Over 3.5 Rounds @ 4/9
Merab Dvalishvili (20-4-0) looks to complete a hat-trick of title defences in 2025 as he faces Cory Sandhagen (18-5-0).
Dvalishvili won the Bantamweight belt last September when dethroning Sean O’Malley with a dominant five round performance.
The Georgian went on to defeat the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov in January, before submitting O’Malley in the third round of their rematch in June.
The 34-year-old is on a 13-fight win streak dating back to 2018 having taken out all comers in his drawn out run to the belt.
Sandhagen is a perennial top contender in the 135lb division who fought for the interim title in a 2021 unanimous decision defeat to Petr Yan.
The American has recent wins over Deiveson Figueiredo (R2 - TKO, knee injury), Rob Font (UD) and Marlon Vera (UD) but was on the wrong end of a dominating performance from Umar Nurmagomedov two fights ago.
As talented as Sandhagen is, at the very top he has come up short and it's difficult to see that changing here.
Dvalishvili has shown that his unrelenting gas tank, sambo wrestling style and ever improving stand-up game will be too much for Sandhagen.
Tip 3 – Youssef Zalal to Win & Over 1.5 Rounds @ 2/5
Youssef Zalal (17-5-1) looks to push towards the top five of the Featherweight division with a win over long-time top contender Josh Emmett (19-5-0).
This is Zalal’s second run in the UFC where he has gone 4-0 since returning, with wins over Calvin Kattar (UD), Jack Shore (Sub - R2), Jarno Errens (Sub R-1) and Billy Quarantillo (Sub - R2).
The 29-year-old's first stint saw him go 3-3-1, losing close match-ups to the likes of Ilia Topuria, Seung Woo Choi and Sean Woodson before he was cut following a draw with Da'Mon Blackshear.
A talented all-rounder, Zalal has shown fantastic footwork since returning to the UFC, able to stick and move on his opponents, as well as showing a killer instinct on the ground.
Josh Emmett is 10-5 in the UFC and was last seen in April being outpointed by Lerone Murphy, while he also went the distance with former Featherweight and now Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
These types of match-ups against young and hungry contenders have seen wins hard to come by for the now 40-year-old, who has slipped to 1-3 since the start of 2023. However, the American still showed his trademark power when knocking out Bryce Mitchell in the first round at the end of 2023.
Zalal fits into the young and hungry contender category and is likely to continue to show he is ready to be tested against the current top five of the 145lb division with a win here.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
