UFC 320: Anakalaev vs. Pereira 2 Predictions

UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 takes place on Sunday (AEDT) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. – and we’ve got our UFC predictions for all the fights below, and you can place your bets with the best betting sites Australia has to offer!

UFC 320 Predictions

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Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira Prediction

Magomed Ankalaev defeated Alex Pereira by unanimous decision back in March to seize the light-heavyweight title, and now they two are set to lock horns again.

The 33-year-old Ankalaev has never been the most exciting or flashy fighter in the UFC, preferring a more risk-adverse, strategic approach to compliment his well-rounded fighting ability. And given that he’s now gone unbeaten in 14 UFC fights, including nullifying Pereira’s striking threat last time out, it’s clearly working for him. Ankalaev is a patient, composed kickboxer who likes to keep the fight at range with solid punches and kicks delivered with enough power to earn respect. He is very economical with his output though which can frustrate, but if opponents try to up the ante and apply pressure they’ll find him to also be crisp on the counter and durable. Ankalaev can also transition to an assured clinch and wrestling game when required, though he tends to be more of a grinder than finisher in those positions, and it’s also worth noting he has never won a fight via submission.

The 38-year-old Pereira is a former kickboxing champion who went on to develop a fearsome reputation as one of the best finishers in the UFC while claiming titles in two weight classes. His left hook in particular is a deadly weapon that’s claimed many victims, but everything he throws has a thudding impact, including punishing leg kicks and fast head kicks. With that in mind it was a surprise to see him lack his usual offensive threat and aggression against Ankalaev earlier this year, instead being lured into a fairly lackluster and uneventful performance that he will now attempt to make amends for.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see if Pereira can bring the fight to Ankalaev this time around and make the most of his power advantage, but it’ll be no easy task. To do so would mean taking more risks to close the distance and may also leave him more vulnerable to some of Ankalaev’s natural strength’s like counter-striking at range, takedowns and grinding clinch-work. As such, while it might not be exciting to watch, Ankalaev’s careful, cautious but calculated style does seem well suited to playing spoiler against Pereira, and so I think he will once again edge his way to an unremarkable decision win on Saturday night.

Magomed Ankalaev to win by decision

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Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen Prediction

Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili’s current winning streak now extends to 13 fights as he looks to make his third successful title defense against Cory Sandhagen, who has won four of his last five fights.

Nobody has found an answer for the 34-year-old Dvalishvili’s relentless wrestling strategy so far, with everyone from a high-level striker like Sean O’Malley to an Olympic gold-medal wrestler like Henry Cejudo falling short against him. Dvalishvili doesn’t have the most refined or technical wrestling ability, but when you combine his tireless work ethic and seemingly inhuman cardio it becomes exceptionally difficult to stop him from just chaining together takedown attempts until one works. And while he’s not the best at keeping the fight on the mat, he’s perfectly happy to just reset on the feet and repeat the process until the final bell sounds. Dvalishvili’s style hasn’t evolved much andso his striking remains functional at best and he lacks a cutting edge, but to his credit he did earn a rare submission win last time out.

The 33-year-old Sandhagen has been hovering around the fringes of title contention for years, but has always fallen short at the final hurdle, including losing title eliminator against Aljamain Sterling back in 2020 and Umar Nurmagomedov in 2024 along with being defeated in an interim title opportunity against Petr Yan in 2021. Sandhagen’s overall resume is very solid though, having beaten the likes of Deiveson Figueiredo, Marlon Vera, Frankie Edgar and Rob Font to name but a few over the years. Sandhagen is primarily a striker and will have a distinct size advantage here, having 5″ extra in height, although only 1.5″ in reach. He’s a skilled technician who can operate effectively from range with a diverse arsenal of kicks to all levels to compliment his punches, while he’ll also mix in knees and elbows at closer quarters and can launch into dynamic attacks in the spur of the moment. Sandhagen can also mix in an occasional takedown, has a few submission wins on his record, and while he can be taken down, he does have the ability to work back to his feet.

Dvalishvili is open to being hit while closing the distance to initiate his takedowns, so there’s always a chance that Sandhagen diverse striking game could lead to him finding a home for something like an unexpected knee or spinning attack. However, there’s no doubt that Dvalishvili is going to find plenty of success with takedowns here, and so it feels likely that he’ll emerge with another decision victory.

Merab Dvalishvili to win by decision

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Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. Prediction

Former 205lb champion Jiri Prochazka and recent title challenger Khalil Rountree are both coming off separate wins over Jamahal Hill as they now prepare to lock horns in the Octagon.

At 32-year-old, Prochazka continues to prove to be a dangerous striker with a warrior’s mentality, willing to throw himself into harms way in order to take the fight to his opponent in search of a finish. He’s an unorthodox, but effective striker given that he’s now finished 27 of his 31 career wins via T(KO), and while his power punches are proven fight-enders, stoppages via head kicks, flying knees, spinning elbows and even a trio of submissions emphasize the fact that he’ll use everything but the kitchen sink to stop the fight going to the scorecards. Prochazka’s style is flawed however as his defense is always a secondary concern, and while he has a knack for eating strikes and outlasting opponents in a fire-fight, two TKO losses to Alex Pereira has dented his durability.

The 35-year-old Rountree is a powerfully built striker, but he’ll be at a 3″ height and 4″ reach disadvantage against Prochazka. Rountree is a more technically sound kickboxer than his opponent, and while he has good power he usually tries not to be drawn into a toe-to-toe war. Instead he prefers to pace himself and pick his moments to deliver thudding kicks to the legs and body alongside his punches, while also seeking out counter opportunities. That being said, Rountree did show his heart and battling qualities in a title clash with Alex Pereira a year ago, though he clearly came off second-best before being TKO’d.

It often feels like Prochazka is riding his luck a bit too much in his fights due to his all-out aggression leading to a lack of defense, and Rountree does have the power to punish him for that. That being said, Prochazka’s high tempo and constant pressure won’t suit Rountree, and he also has the edge if they go to the mat too. As such I’ll take Prochazka to finish Rountree by TKO by the second round.

Jiri Prochazka to win by TKO in Rd2

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Josh Emmett vs. Youssef Zalal Prediction

Josh Emmett comes in off his third loss in his last four fights to take on the in-form Youssef Zalal, who has won all four of his UFC bouts since returning early last year.

Considering Emmett is now 40-years-old and has been riddled with injuries in recent years it’s to his credit that he’s still holding on to the No.8 spot in the 145lb rankings. These days he’s really leaning heavily on his big knockout power though, loading up on big single shots that can absolutely switch out his opponents lights, as Bryce Mitchell quickly found out a couple of years ago. However, without much in the way of volume or variety it’s made him quite predictable and skilled opponents are becoming better at steering clear of his overhand bombs. Emmett does also have a wrestling base that he’s guilty of not using enough at times, but given his age and stamina it’s something he’s likely to turn to only sparingly.

The 29-year-old Zalal actually had a previous spell in the UFC from 2020-2021, winning his first three fights, then suffering three losses and a draw before being released. He’s been in fine form since returning in March of last year though and is coming off his biggest win to date over Calvin Kattar. Zalal lacks Emmett’s stopping power on the feet, but he has fast hands, a good kicking game and nimble footwork. Zalal also has decent wrestling, but it’s his grappling that’s his biggest asset, with nine submission finishes to his name, including in three of his four latest UFC wins. It’s also worth noting Zalal has never been finished, and even took Ilia Topuria to a rare decision when they fought back in 2020.

You can never rule Emmett out with the kind of power he possesses, but I do favor Zalal’s relative youth, speed and evasive movement to make it difficult for the veteran to land that one big shot, enabling ‘The Morroccan Devil’ to outpoint him on the outside to win on the scorecards.

Youssef Zalal to win by decision

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Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Joe Pyfer Prediction

Abus Magomedov rides the momentum of a three-fight winning streak into his next fight against Joe Pyfer, who is coming off back-to-back wins.

The 35-year-old Magomedov had a lot of experience under his belt even before arriving in the UFC back in 2022, having been a former PFL tournament finalist with nearly 30 fights to his name. He won in his UFC debut, but then lost his next two fights, although there’s no shame in being beaten by Sean Strickland and Caio Borralho. Since then he’s been on form though, proving to be a solid all-rounder who perhaps isn’t the most active striker, but does have good kickboxing fundamentals and respectable power, together with a willingness to seek out takedowns and work for submission opportunities too. And that’s led to 22 of his 28 career wins coming inside the distance, including 14 via strikes.

The 29-year-old Pyfer has had a good run in the Octagon since joining from the Contender Series in 2022, going 5-1 so far. Pyfer has solid boxing basics that are accentuated by his naturally heavy hands and has resulted in him finishing nine of his 14 career wins via strikes, including three so far in the UFC. He’s not the most creative or diverse offensively though and could benefit from more combination work. Pyfer’s offensive wrestling is a plus point when he chooses to use it, and while it’s not his go-to option he can also grapple too when required and has a few submission wins to his name.

These two have some similarities and there’s a risk that this fight could just end up being a low-output affair that goes to a narrow judges decision. However, I do think Pyfer is the bigger threat on the feet with his power advantage and for that reason I’m taking him to find a 2nd round TKO finish.

Joe Pyfer to win by TKO in Rd2

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UFC 320: Anakalaev vs. Pereira 2 Prelims

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(Predicted winners in bold)

Ateba Abega Gautier vs. Osman Diaz
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. André Muniz
Chris Gutiérrez vs. Farid Basharat
Daniel Santos vs. Yoo Joo-sang
Macy Chiasson vs. Yana Santos
Patchy Mix vs. Jakub Wikłacz
Punahele Soriano vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Austin Vanderford
Veronica Hardy vs. Brogan Walker

MMA Writer

Ross Cole

Ross Cole is one of the most prolific mixed martial arts writers in the world.

Having written more than 22,000 MMA news stories for MMA Insight, which he founded in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts.

Few people know the UFC and the sport of MMA like Ross, and he has built a solid reputation for being one of the best MMA tipsters in the world.

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