Alex Pereira returned to the light heavyweight mountaintop, Merab Dvalishvili further solidified his legacy and Jiri Prochazka notched another insane knockout at UFC 320. Saturday’s pay-per-view laid the groundwork for interesting future fights.<\/p>\n
Pereira demolished Ankalaev<\/a>, stopping him in 80 seconds, after losing the UFC light heavyweight title to him in March. There’s no need for a rematch after Ankalaev failed to rack up a title defense. Fortunately, a worthy contender was in attendance at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. There’s also former champion Jiri Prochazka, who demolished Khalil Rountree Jr. after a tough two rounds.<\/p>\n Dvalishvili already had a case for being the all-time best bantamweight<\/a>. It’s only more compelling after his decisive decision over Cory Sandhagen<\/a>. If Dvalishvili wants to truly separate himself from fellow bantamweight greats, Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw, there’s an appropriate challenge waiting in the wings.<\/p>\n After an exciting, action-packed night, let’s explore the tantalizing fights the UFC can book next.<\/p>\n Light heavyweight<\/p>\n Alex Pereira vs. Carlos Ulberg:\u00a0UFC CEO Dana White revealed, during Saturday’s post-fight press conference, that Pereira’s team approached him about a heavyweight fight this week. We’ll address that next. If Pereira stays put, fighting Ulberg produces guaranteed fireworks. Both men are strikers with knockout power. Ulberg isn’t a huge draw, but it’s a great booking for a championship doubleheader.\u00a0<\/p>\n After beating Ankalaev, Pereira initiated a moment of silence for Jon Jones’ late brother<\/a>, Super Bowl winner Arthur Jones. Pereira appeared to have another speech planned. Maybe he planned to call out Jones, or the winner of Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane. With a lack of compelling heavyweight contenders, Pereira could seemingly move up for a quick one-off while still holding the 205-pound title.<\/p>\n Magomed Ankalaev vs. Jiri Prochazka: Prochazka needed Pereira to lose on Saturday. Now, he’ll have to contend with staying afloat atop the division. Pereira’s two dominant victories over Prochazka make it hard to sell a trilogy. Instead, Prochazka can turn his attention to Ankalaev. It’s a fresh matchup with some backstory. Prochazka took issue with Ankalaev mocking him on social media during fight week. Prochazka previously claimed he was offered a title shot against Ankalaev, but turned it down to finish his master’s degree. Now is the time to pair them up.<\/p>\n Khalil Rountree vs. Jan Blachowicz or Bogdan Guskov: Rountree looked so good for the first 10 minutes of his fight with Prochazka. Unfortunately, if you can’t hurt Prochazka, he’ll ultimately hurt you<\/a>. Rountree has absorbed a disturbing amount of damage between his losses to Pereira and Prochazka. A step backward would be good for him. Former light heavyweight champion Blachowicz and rising striker Guskov meet in November. Rountree will be ranked in proximity to the winner. A fight with Blachowicz gives Rountree a break from KO artists while a fight with Guskov plays into Rountree’s strengths against a potentially less elite opponent.<\/p>\n Bantamweight<\/p>\n Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2: Dvalishvili wants to set a record four title defenses in 12 months. The UFC should entertain it. The champ wants to fight Yan on Nov. 15. It’s unlikely that matchmakers will book a third title fight at UFC 322, but UFC 323 doesn’t have one just yet. Yan, a former champion, redeemed himself with three consecutive wins after losing three straight, and is primed for a rematch with Dvalishvili. Yan hasn’t fought since July, giving him ample time to recover for the Dec. 6 card.<\/p>\n