Mar 8, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Magomed Ankalaev (blue gloves) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 – Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira Head To Head Comparison, Tale Of The Tape And More!

Mar 8, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Magomed Ankalaev (blue gloves) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The light heavyweight division has a new king, and his name is Magomed Ankalaev. After years of climbing the ranks and dealing with controversial decisions, the Dagestani fighter finally captured UFC gold at UFC 313 by defeating Alex Pereira. Now these two warriors are set to run it back at UFC 320 on October 4, 2025. Pereira wants his belt back, while Ankalaev aims to prove his first victory wasn’t a fluke.

What makes this rematch so fascinating is the clash of styles and backgrounds. Pereira came from kickboxing royalty, carrying that devastating knockout power that made him a two-division UFC champion. Ankalaev represents the wrestling-heavy Dagestani school of fighting that has dominated MMA for years. Now, fans are getting another chapter in this rivalry, and nobody’s complaining about that.

Magomed Ankalaev’s MMA Journey

Magomed Ankalaev earned every bit of success through pure grinding. Before turning professional in 2014, Ankalaev dominated the amateur MMA and combat sambo scene. He won multiple WMMAA World Championships and Russian national titles, beating future UFC fighters like Vadim Nemkov and Valentin Moldavsky along the way.

His UFC journey started with a nightmare though. At UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs Volkov in March 2018, Ankalaev absolutely dominated Paul Craig for nearly fifteen minutes. He was cruising to an easy decision win when Craig caught him in a triangle choke. The submission came at exactly 4:59 of round three. Ankalaev bounced back immediately with a brutal knockout of Marcin Prachnio that earned him Performance of the Night honors.

Magomed Ankalaev just BEAT Alex Pereira via unanimous decision at UFC 313 🤯 pic.twitter.com/mAn4AyOgk0
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) March 9, 2025

From there, Ankalaev went on an absolute tear through the light heavyweight division. He picked up wins over solid fighters like Nikita Krylov and Volkan Oezdemir before really announcing himself as a contender. His unanimous decision victory over former champion Thiago Santos showed he could hang with the elite. Then he knocked out Anthony Smith at UFC 277, proving his finishing ability was evolving. The controversial split draw against Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title at UFC 282 frustrated everyone, especially since 23 out of 25 media members scored it for Ankalaev. He deserved that belt but had to wait a bit longer.

The Johnny Walker saga provided some drama along the way. Their first fight at UFC 294 ended in a no-contest after an illegal knee, with the doctor controversially stopping things. They ran it back at UFC Fight Night 234, and Ankalaev left no doubt this time, knocking Walker out cold in round two. After another decision win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308, Ankalaev finally got his title shot against Pereira at UFC 313. He won by unanimous decision.

Magomed Ankalaev’s MMA Record

24 Fights	Win	Loss
By KO/TKO	11	0
By Submission	0	1
By Decision	10	0

Magomed Ankalaev also has 1 NC in his record.

Alex Pereira’s MMA Journey

Alex Pereira’s path to MMA was completely different from most fighters. The Brazilian spent years becoming one of the most feared kickboxers on the planet, winning multiple Glory championships. His first fight in MMA didn’t go well though, losing via submission at Jungle Fight 82.

After bouncing around smaller promotions and building a 3-1 record, Pereira signed with the UFC in September 2021. His promotional debut at UFC 268 against Andreas Michailidis showed everyone what he brought to the table. Second-round TKO, Performance of the Night bonus, and suddenly everyone was talking about this kickboxing champion. He methodically worked his way up the middleweight rankings with wins over Bruno Silva and a brutal first-round knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 276.

The really wild part of Pereira’s story is his rivalry with Israel Adesanya. These two had fought twice in kickboxing, with Pereira winning both times and knocking Adesanya out in their second meeting. When they finally met for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 281, Pereira did it again. Fifth-round TKO to capture UFC gold in just his fourth promotional fight. Their immediate rematch at UFC 287 saw Adesanya get revenge with a second-round knockout.

Alex Pereira refuses to lose against Magomed Ankalaev again 😤

"I'm not losing this fight. I just won't."

🎥 @AlexPereiraUFC #UFC320 pic.twitter.com/iIMg23pLgw
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 29, 2025

Pereira (12-3) then made a bold move up to 205 pounds. He eased into light heavyweight with a split decision win over former champion Jan Blachowicz, then knocked out Jiri Prochazka to win the vacant Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 295. He went on an incredible run defending the belt three times in one calendar year, knocking out Jamahal Hill, Prochazka again, and Khalil Rountree Jr. Then Ankalaev came along at UFC 313 and ended the party with a decision victory that took the belt away.

Alex Pereira’s MMA Record

15 Fights	Win	Loss
By KO/TKO	10	1
By Submission	0	1
By Decision	5	1

Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira: Tale Of The Tape

Tale Of The Tape	Magomed Ankalaev	Alex Pereira
Record	21-1-1 (1 NC)	12-3
Height	6’3”	6’4”
Weight	205 pounds	205 pounds
Reach	75”	79”
Stance	Orthodox	Orthodox
D.O.B	Jun 02, 1992	Jul 07, 1987

Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira Head to Head Record

Ankalaev is 1-0 in the head-to-head record against Alex Pereira. The two fought at UFC 313 where Ankalaev used his cling work and pressure to dethrone Pereira by unanimous decision. The scoring was incredibly close though, with media members split almost evenly on who actually won. Their rematch at UFC 320 gives Pereira the chance to reclaim his throne while Ankalaev looks to cement his status as the true light heavyweight king.

(Image Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)

Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev

UFC 320

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!