Flash back to this time last year and Alex Pereira was the talk of the UFC. He had saved some of the biggest pay-per-view cards of the year, and he defended his title for the third time against a headhunting Khalil Rountree Jr. It looked like he was headed toward immense fights at both heavyweight and light heavyweight.
Then Magomed Ankalaev showed up. Or Muhammad Ankalaev, as hes now calling himself.
It wasnt an emphatic beatdown that he put on Pereira at UFC 313 in March, but it was effective enough to take his title. This weekend they play it back at UFC 320 in Las Vegas, and there are so many questions. Namely is the Usman Nurmagomedov-Paul Hughes fight sneakily the best one of the weekend.
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Lets get right down to them in our UFC 320 roundtable.
Petesy: It should definitely feel bigger, but the lads have managed to conjure some late intrigue based on that weird exchange they had, thanks to Google Translate and ChatGPT. Its crazy to think of how enthusiasm can be quelled on someone like Pereira so quickly. He was the savior of the promotion in 2024. We were all concerned he would hijack the heavyweight title fight with Jon Jones and leave Tom Aspinall out in the cold. He loses one close decision to Mago I mean “Big Ank” and suddenly things have fizzled. The crazy thing is, I feel like hes putting himself out there more than ever and its just not hitting in the same way.
Chuck: Is it even possible for “Big Ank” to move the needle? That needle might as well be Thors hammer for the Dagestani milquetoast, who is probably a big ol gentle giant outside the cage. I like to imagine him sniffing flowers like Ferdinand the Bull.
No, the buzz isnt what youd hope, but I think theres an unspoken kind of hysteria swirling around it, like fans dont want to look this fight straight in the eye. They dont want to think too deeply about an extended Ankalaev run. Theres this notion that perhaps it was an off-night last time for “Poatan” that he was hurt or distracted or a little trigger-shy and that hell set things right Saturday night.
In other words, the buzz is more inward this time. But I think itll be hurting our ears come fight night.
Chuck: Its wild to me how quiet things have been with Pereira (and his camp) since he lost the title to Ankalaev, and obviously if he starches Ank in the rematch the UFC would get him the hell away from Ankalaev. There wouldnt be a trilogy. And if they were going to make a kind of historic three-division champion super-fight, that would be the time.
But if he loses? Petesy, if he loses I dont think the interest will be the same. We were licking our chops at the idea of him fighting Tom Aspinall not all that long ago, but wouldnt it just seem like Tom would just set Pereira on fire like he was the Wicker Man? I dont think it would be seen as all that competitive of a fight. If he goes up and fights a top five type guy, there would be curiosity, but I dont think it would be the blockbuster it was meant to be.
Petesy: I agree with everything youre saying here, my friend. However, even if it wasnt competitive and even if the interest wasnt there like it once would have been, is there anyone at heavyweight that could compel the same kind of intrigue if Tom does Tom things to Ciryl Gane?
For me, thats gotta be the plan. For Team Pereira if they come up short against Magom “Big Ank” again, what are the alternatives? Wait around at 205 for a trilogy fight or, even worse, deplete yourself to make 185 in the hopes of overcoming the worst style matchup on planet Earth in the shape of Khamzat Chimaev? Cant see either of those things happening.
Petesy: I know most old heads like us have cited Dominick Cruz when were asked about the bantamweight GOAT for many years, but I think Merab is definitely in that conversation now. I dont think you could argue with anyone who has him as the greatest bantamweight of all time, but I find it very intriguing that youve asked this question, Chuck. Weve been doing this thing for a long time now and I know that you start to get very nervous when fighters start to get that air of invincibility about them, is it safe to say that Merab is in that neck of the woods now?
Chuck: Safe as hell, Petesy. Even uttering the question comes with dire consequences. Weve seen it a million times.
But its almost like Merabs the great equalizer, isnt it? Dom Cruz struggled to make the walk for all those years, yet when he did he was mostly brilliant. Merab makes the walk twice as much as most champions the counter-Cruz if you will and hes a true godsend to the UFC. They book him into all these fights so that he doesnt kill himself running down loose-gravel hillsides and diving into icy ponds.
Recency bias is as big in our sport as the Octagon girls, Petesy, and Im not immune to it myself but, I really do believe if Merab blasts Sandhagen he is at least 1B on the list of all-time bantamweight greats with Cruz. He is!
Chuck: You know, I visited Cory out in Denver in early September, and he was drilling for the inevitable onslaught of Merab shooting in on him ceaselessly. The one thing I can say is they know exactly what Merab is going to do. They have seen plenty of tape, and Dvalishvili doesnt stray too much from the game plan because he doesnt have to.
I think he needs to do what his coach Trevor Wittman told me he should, which is fight offensively. Meaning, dont fight to defend the takedown so much as punishing the takedown attempts, winning in-close exchanges on the fence, winning scrambles. If he can just give Merab any hesitation, and not break in the process, there might be an opening for him to do something special.
Petesy: Thats such a great mentality to have going into a fight. Thank god hes relying on Trevor Wittman and not me because my knee-jerk reply to this question was Dont get tired!
I think Umar Nurmagomedov showed a great game plan over the first two rounds of his meeting with Merab, but he just didnt have the gas tank to execute it when the championship rounds kicked in. Merab knows he will beat any man alive in a war of attrition, so hurting him early has got to be Corys MO on Saturday night.
Petesy: Jiří and Khalil are in the optimum spot to claim the next shot given that they are fighting on the same card as the champion, but I still think a lot has to go right for them. Despite the poor ticket sales in Perth, Carlos Ulberg dispatched Dominick Reyes in effortless fashion and the spectacle of the stoppage will certainly work in his favor.
I think thats an important factor here too. Weve been around too long to simply say that Jiří and Khalil will definitely deliver as a fight even though it seems like it has to. Youd certainly think a win for Pereira and Rountree would set up a championship rematch. If Jiří wins in dominant fashion, it could be an ideal setup for a victorious “Big Ank,” but I still dont know if I can rule out Ulberg completely until I see how the fight plays out.
Chuck: I do think Ulberg finally made the statement the UFC has been waiting on in dispatching Dom Reyes in the first round on that card you mention. I was beginning to wonder if it was the increased spotlight that made Ulberg gun shy, or if it was the step up in competition (having those decisions over Volkan Oezdemir and Jan Blachowicz)?
Anyway, he made his statement.
If Pereira wins, I can see Ulberg being next. If Ankalaev wins, I can see Ulberg being next, too, but I can equally see him facing the winner of Rountree-Procházka, given that hes never fought either. I guess its good that there are viable options for any outcome here (but I can tell you, the UFC would rather be contemplating Pereiras next title defense, and thats a Mindenhall guarantee).
Chuck: On the UFC side of things, give me the Abus Magomedov and Joe Pyfer fight on this one. Abus hasnt had a fight night bonus since his debut against Dustin Stoltzfus. I think Pyfer can bring a good fight out of him, and hell want to deliver given that hes kicking off the pay-per-view. Pyfers win against Marc-Andre Barriault was a fun fight, and I think this one has the potential to be a battle. Abus will bring it.
And remember, Petesy, Abus is an e away from Abuse, and Pyfer puts the onus in bonus. (This Seussian moment has been brought to you by Dude Wipes.)
Petesy: Poetry, Chuck. Pure poetry, sir.
But you already know my hot take. How about this: The best fight of the weekend is not taking place at UFC 320, its going down in Dubai where Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes will re-do their Fight of the Year nominee from January. Absolutely love the fight and honestly, love the Derry mans chances. That said, this is home game for Usman, I thought Paul won a very close fight the first time around, which makes me think hell have to get the finish this time around. Its a blockbuster weekend!
Chuck: Good call! There was no way we were getting out of a weekend roundtable without mention of Paul Hughes. That first fight was tremendous, and I cant wait to see how this plays out.