Double Title Drama: Two Belts on the Line at UFC 320

Christmas comes early this year for MMA fans, and believe it or not, it is in October. The chance to see a rematch between the light heavyweight juggernauts in Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira is not to be missed. UFC 313 hasn't settled all the scores, and Poatan is looking to get his belt back, while Big Ank is ready for his first title defence. Yet, if you thought that's all there is to UFC 329 you'd be wrong.

UFC 320 will be a home to another title bout. Fighting for the bantamweight title we will have Cory Sandhagen as the challenger to the title holder Merab Dvalishvili. The main and co main event at the UFC 320 event are out of this world, and it's been a while since UFC prepared such a show for its fans. When you know that the card also has fights such as Jiří Procházka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr., and Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Joe Pyfer, you know that stakes are higher than ever.

UFC 320 Venue, Date & Time

As we're used to when it comes to the biggest UFC events, the location for UFC 320 is none other than T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The gambling Mecca of the United States, and the world in general knows a thing or two about such events, and it is a perfect playground for two title bouts during a single evening. The preliminary rounds start at 7:00 Pacific Daylight Time on October 4th.

The Best of The Best: Ankalaev, Pereira, Merab & Sandhagen

When it comes to light heavyweight and bantamweight divisions, the lads who are going to fight at the UFC 320 event are the cream of the crop in their respective classes. Merab Dvalishvili is defending his belt for the third time, in what's his third fight of the year, showing that not only he's a great champion but also an iron man. Sandhagen is a well respected fighter, who got his chance at the belt after being quite impressive in his last few bouts. The last few years of the light heavyweight division were marked by the Brazilian kickboxer, Alex Pereira, and Poatan's rise to glory needs to be studied. The world was his oyster before Big Ank put an end to his reign. The Russian beast is deservedly the champ, and he will defend the title to the last breath. Let's take a look at the four fighters that will cross paths with belts on the line at UFC 320

Merab Dvalishvili

Merab is one of a kind fighter, a relentless one. His never give up attitude is what's brought him to the top of the bantamweight division. The start to his UFC career was nothing short of disappointing as he started with two defeats. When both fans and pundits started to call him washed, he turned his fortunes around, and through hard work and dedication to the craft of martial arts he has now amassed 13 consecutive wins. His career record stands at an impressive 20:4 and he has defeated the likes of Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo on his path to glory. The pinnacle of his career came in the title fight against Sean O'Malley, which he comfortably won via unanimous decision. The first title defence for Merab came against Umar Nurmagomedov which brought both lads the Fight of the Night bonus. The third title bout was a rematch against Sean O'Malley which Merab took home via stoppage in the third round. In what's to be his third title defence, against Cory Sandhagen, the Georgian fighter is so confident in his triumph, that when reading Stake's UFC 320 interview with Merab, you can see that he's already gearing up for another title defence in December, with Petr Yan being his opponent of choice.

Cory Sandhagen

While Dvalishvili is a master of his craft, Sandhagen is not one to roll over and admit defeat. He has made a name for himself in the world of MMA and his 18-5 record is nothing to be ashamed of. His UFC career has seen him winning 11 fights with only 4 losses. As far as the bantamweight division goes, Cory is holding to the number 4 spot, making him a true title challenger. His recent run has put him on a championship trajectory, after leaving the likes of Deiveson Figueiredo, Rob Font, Marlon Vera and Yadong Song. 44% of all of his wins have come via KO/TKO. The only aspect of his career that both fans and pundits take against Cory Sandhagen is that every time he fought one of the top faces in the division, he lost. Among the fighters he lost to the names of Umar Nurmagomedov, Petr Yan and T.J. Dillashaw stands out. While there is no shame in losing to these fighters, it is a pattern that shows the Sandhagen falls short when the lights are the brightest.

Magomed Ankalaev

Big Ank is a complete fighter. He showed as much when he won the light heavyweight title back in March at the UFC 313 when he fought and defeated Alex Poatan Pereira via unanimous decision. Throughout career, Ankalaev has fought 23 times, winning 21 matches, drawing one, and having only one defeat to his name. During his UFC career he has amassed 12 wins, one draw and one loss. It was Paul Craig who took him down way back in 2018, while the judges saw his bout vs. Former champ Jan Blachowicz in 2022 as a draw. At the moment, Big Ank is on a 14 fights undefeated run, with a staggering percentage of 52% of his wins coming via KO/TKO. Every major UFC 320 sportsbook sees him as a favourite to defend the belt with odds on Ankalaev's win being set at 1.47.

Alex Pereira

When Alex Pereira entered the shark filled waters of the UFC no one could have predicted his rise within the company. It only took him four fights since his debut in 2021 to get his hands on the middleweight belt. Fans still rejoice his KO wins against Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya. During his title runs, Poatan was one of the most mesmerizing UFC fighters to watch. When he lost the middleweight belt to Israel Adesanya he decided to move up a division, and in no time he was fighting Jiří Procházka for the light heavyweight title belt. His three title defences, and three amazing wins against the likes of Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. will be long remembered. Standing at a fine 12-3 MMA record, and an even more impressive 83% KO/TKO ratio, the only defeats in his career were handed to Poatan by great fighters such as Adesanya, Big Ank, in the UFC, and Alex Morono before he joined the company. The fellow stake ambassador will be fighting alongside Alex at UFC 320, so let us take a look at the Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen picks & predictions before we do the same for Ankalaev vs. Pereira.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen

Merab Dvalishvili is the king of the bantamweight division. It is not just that his 13 fight win streak is impressive, it is the fact that not even one of his opponents came close to defeating him. The Machine is clearing out the division, and in no time there will be no one left deserving to fight him. The fun part about Merab's fighting style is that he's not aiming to finish his opponents. Yet, that was precisely what he had done during his last title defence against Sean O'Malley. He fights with constant pressure and high end grappling, and he has led the fans now believing that he has added a new weapon to his already impressive arsenal. The Machine, a well deserved nickname to say the least, has one of the best engines in the UFC, and his cardio is out of this world, leading to him dominating the bantamweight division the way he has.

Cory Sandhagen, on the other hand, is a much different profile of a fighter. His main trait is powerful striking. Sandgahen will try to take advantage of this as he also has height and reach advantage over his Georgian opponent. Yet, as we already pointed out, in the past Cory has lost to every top fighter in the division he's faced. Due to this it is believed that he has no chances of defeating Merab Dvalishvili, and that bantamweight title fight will be a walk in the park for The Machine which the odds on Merab's win suggest. The odds on Merab are set at 1.24, while a win on Sandhagen pays with 4.20. Of course, Cory will attempt to attack the body of his opponent and try to slow him that way. While doing that is not in the realm of impossible, we still predict an easy win for Merab at the UFC 320 and yet another title defence under his belt.

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira

The long awaited rematch of what's transpired at UFC 313 is finally ahead of us. After five rounds back at UFC 313, Magoimed Ankalaev was declared the winner via unanimous decision, in what's perceived as a fair decision by the judges. Since then, both fighters have made it clear that a rematch will happen, and that there's no better duel for the light heavyweight title than the rematch between Big Ank and Poatan. The recovery period and camps are finally over, and the two men are gearing up for the October 4th showdown. When we remember their first duel, it was evident that the Russian fighter had entered the bout better prepared. He knew how to neutralize Alex, by handing him constant front kicks to the body, and never taking his foot off the gas pedal. Holding Poatan close to the cage has made him unable to hit some of his trademark shots, and disabled him from using his reach advantage. It shouldn't be forgotten either that Big Ank was able to wobble Pereira in the second round, and that after that moment, he was in full control of the duel. That's why Ankalaev is the betting favorite for this match with odds on his win being set at 1.47.

For Alex Pereira, this is one of the rare instances where he is entering a bout as an underdog, as his 2.70 odds on win are suggesting. Many fans remain confident that Alex will be able to get the belt back. Yet, it is hard to see if these beliefs have a ground in reality, as many fans still hold Poatan dear after his impressive run in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, which made him a champion across two divisions in a short span. Today, he's not the same fighter, and has obviously lost a step due to all the fame and fortune that came his way in the midst of his rise to popularity. Left hooks and high kicks that aided in Poatan's meteoric rise weren't working against Magomed Ankalaev the last time the two men fought. Those who follow UFC numbers know that he only managed to land 76 significant hits during the five rounds at UFC 313. When you know that the majority of those were calf kicks, you know that he wasn't landing shots that matter. To win against the Big Ank and to get his belt back, Pereira will just have to do better, starting by being more active in the exchanges from the first bell.

With UFC320 being less than two weeks away, you can already start preparing your picks for the bouts, and gather your friends to watch the best event UFC has put forth in a while. In addition to the matches we've already mentioned, there are also interesting fights down the card such as Ateba Abega Gautier vs. Osman Diaz, Edmen Shahbazyan vs. André Muniz, Veronica Hardy vs.Brogan Walker, Chris Gutiérrez vs. Farid Basharat, and Macy Chiasson vs. Yana Santos.