Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira 2 Preview & Picks
Magomed Ankalaev is tipped to retain the light-heavyweight title at UFC 320.
Ankalaev’s pressure grappling proved to be the decisive factor in the first meeting between the two men, and it is the blueprint for success in the rematch too.
- Magomed Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 14 fights
- Magomed Ankalaev beat Alex Pereira by decision earlier this year
- 5 of Magomed Ankalaev’s last 7 wins have been by decision
Head To Head
- Magomed Ankalaev won by unanimous decision when the two men last met in March 2025
Magomed Ankalaev Form
Magomed Ankalaev is the reigning and defending UFC light-heavyweight champion with a career record of 20-1 (10 KOs) with 1 draw and 1 No Contest.
Ankalaev debuted in the UFC in March 2018 and suffered a nightmare first outing as he was submitted with one second to go by Paul Craig.
He rebounded quickly from that loss though, knocking out Marcin Prachnio in 189 seconds, and he followed that up with a decision win over Klidson Abreu.
From there the 33-year-old Russian knocked out Dalcha Lungiambula in the third round, before recording back-to-back first-round stoppages of Ion Cutelaba.
Ankalaev’s rise continued with points wins over Nikita Krylov, Volkan Oezdemir and Thiago Santos, and he then secured a light-heavyweight title fight with a second round knockout of Anthony Smith.
His first shot at becoming champion ended in disappointment though, as he went to a split decision draw with Jan Blachowicz.
The Russian’s next outing was also a frustrating one, as he went to a No Contest with Johnny Walker, but he quickly put those setbacks behind him.
Ankalaev won the rematch with Walker by second-round knockout, before out-pointing Aleksandar Rakic over three rounds.
He then completed his rise to the summit in March of this year, as he beat Alex Pereira via unanimous decision to become UFC light-heavyweight champion.
Alex Pereira Form
Alex Pereira is a former UFC middleweight and light-heavyweight champion with a professional record of 12-3 (10 KOs).
Pereira made his UFC debut in November 2021 and made an immediate impact as he knocked out Andreas Michailidis in the second round.
He backed that up with a decision win over Bruno Silva, before securing a middleweight title fight with a first-round knockout of Sean Strickland.
The 38-year-old Brazilian took his opportunity too, as he knocked out former kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya in the fifth round to claim the 185lb crown.
Pereira’s reign proved to be brief as he was knocked out in the second round of the rematch, and following that defeat he made the move up to light-heavyweight.
‘Poatan’ marked his debut at that weight by beating former champion Jan Blachowicz by split decision, and in his next fight he claimed the vacant title by knocking out Jiri Prochazka in the second round.
He then knocked out Jamahal Hill in the first round of his title defence, before again stopping Prochazka in the second round of their rematch.
Pereira made a third successful defence as he knockout out Khalil Rountree Jr in the fourth round last October, but his reign came to an end back in March when he was out-pointed by Magomed Ankalaev.