As Dana White once famously said, “I sell ‘holy sh*t’ moments for a living!”
Saturday’s pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas certainly delivered plenty of them. Alex Pereira’s return to his rightful place as the sport’s brightest star capped off a wildly entertaining night of fights — and on a chaotic weekend of mixed martial arts action, reminded everyone why the UFC remains the dominant force in combat sports.
With UFC 320 wrapped up, the focus shifts to what lies ahead for those who stole the spotlight in Las Vegas.
Alex Pereira
Normal service resumes.
After an ill-tempered buildup to Saturday’s main event, Alex Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) reminded everyone of the magic that made him a world champion in two weight classes. In arguably the toughest stylistic matchup of his UFC career, “Poatan” produced his fastest finish inside the Octagon — needing just 80 seconds to consign Magomed Ankalaev’s title reign to the history books.
As contenders circled the cage in the aftermath of the Brazilian’s spectacular win, it’s fair to assume Pereira may feel he’s outgrown the idea of facing either Jiri Prochazka or Carlos Ulberg again. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.
In just three years, Pereira has competed in eight title fights across two divisions, winning six and defeating six different opponents who have held UFC gold at some point in their careers. As he continues to build an almost absurd résumé, the 38-year-old has more than earned the right to call his shot before his career is done.
Give the man what he wants.
Give him Jon Jones.
Chama.
Merab Dvalishvili
We are witnessing greatness.
In the wake of another record-breaking performance from Merab Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC) against Cory Sandhagen in Saturday’s main event, the debate over who stands as the most accomplished bantamweight of all time has reignited. Yet with every passing performance from the Georgian, that conversation feels increasingly unnecessary.
“The Machine” extended his all-time UFC record for takedowns to 117 on Saturday night. To put that into perspective, the legendary Georges St-Pierre sits second on the list — with 27 fewer takedowns than the current champion. Even more impressive, Dvalishvili achieved this in just 16 fights, while GSP’s tally came over 22.
By the time all is said and done, the reigning 135-pound champion’s name will likely be etched into the record books alongside a list of achievements that may never be touched.
After three successful title defenses in 2025 so far, the 34-year-old shows no signs of slowing down. Whether the UFC grants his wish for a quick turnaround and another title fight on the December pay-per-view in Las Vegas remains to be seen. If it happens, it would likely be a rematch with Petr Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC), whom he outpointed in March 2023.
If there’s no room for Dvalishvili on the year’s final PPV, he could instead face the winner of Mario Bautista (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
Jiri Prochazka
After enduring two brutally violent opening rounds against Khalil Rountree on Saturday, Jiri Prochazka (32-5-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) rallied to flatline “The War Horse” in the third and final round of their epic encounter.
“I’m a guy who’s not going from the balance to the chaos, but instead I’m finding balance IN the chaos,” the former light heavyweight champion told me when we spoke in the lead-up to the fight. “Maybe that’s my life challenge – to find the peace first (within the chaos of the fight) and then go to my full power.”
The Czech giant’s performance on Saturday perfectly encapsulated why he has captured the imagination of the UFC fanbase. He marches to the beat of his own drum and demands our complete attention whenever he steps into the cage.
Despite having lost to Alex Pereira twice before, the cameras panned to Prochazka in the wake of the Brazilian’s win on Saturday — completely ignoring Carlos Ulberg (13-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), whose impressive winning streak arguably should have pushed him ahead of Prochazka in the race to face “Poatan” next.
There’s a chance Prochazka won’t get a third shot at the champion, especially if Pereira moves up to heavyweight for a White House showdown against Jon Jones. However, given the UFC’s new policy of requiring champions to vacate their belts when moving up to chase another title, there’s a strong possibility we see Prochazka face Ulberg for the vacant light heavyweight strap early in 2026.
