The hype coming into UFC 320 was surrounded by questions on whether or not Alex Pereira’s greatest days had been behind him, because the Magomed Ankalaev period seemed to be dawning. Some additionally questioned if Merab Dvalishvili might really be challenged by Cory Sandhagen.
The primary card additionally featured a sure-to-be banger between Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jiří Procházka, however the prelim slate was a flop. It was really a story of two struggle playing cards.
Whereas the undercard underwhelmed, the five-fight pay-per-view portion delivered. Pereira acquired his revenge in opposition to Ankalaev, who took the sunshine heavyweight championship away from Pereira again in March. Dvalishvili placed on a rare exhibition of his unbelievable skillset. Rountree and Prochazka gave the followers a depraved gentle heavyweight brawl. And two fighters on the rise secured stellar finishes.
After every pay-per-view, we break down and assess the standard of every struggle and the struggle card itself based mostly on ability displayed, competitiveness and what’s at stake.
End result: Pereira defeats Ankalaev by first-round TKO
Grade: A
Usually, when a fighter offers an excuse to justify why they misplaced a struggle, it’s exhausting to digest, however when Pereira mentioned he wasn’t himself when he misplaced to Ankalaev in March, he shouldn’t have been doubted. “Poatan” dropped jaws as he simply worn out a champion who had by no means earlier than been knocked out. He pursued Ankalaev from the opening bell and clobbered him with a proper hand that despatched him to the canvas. A violent barrage of elbows and punches adopted that ended the bout in simply 80 seconds. No, this wasn’t aggressive but it surely was ultra-violent and a reminder why Pereira is likely one of the greatest and most enjoyable fighters on the earth right now.
End result: Procházka defeats Rountree by third-round KO
Grade: A-
One thing particular was going to occur as soon as these two gave into the Octagon collectively — it was only a matter of when. Rountree threw every thing he had with unhealthy intentions for the primary two rounds and broke via with a number of exhausting punches and strikes that sometimes stung the previous champion. Procházka absorbed the punishment however sometimes regarded out of kinds together with his hanging. But when there was anyone who might pull out a victory from the clutches of defeat, it’s “BJP.” Sensing he was behind on the scorecards, Procházka reworked into an offensive machine within the third spherical, placing an absolute beating on Rountree earlier than knocking him out chilly with a brief left hook. Procházka is a diabolical agent of chaos, and this struggle was must-see TV.
End result: Dvalishvili defeats Sandhagen by unanimous resolution
Grade: B+
Dvalishvili doesn’t appear to be human and is starting to enter not solely the dialog for greatest-ever bantamweight but additionally for the very best pound-for-pound fighters on the earth. It’s change into clear that the one technique to beat Dvalishvili is to knock him out, and Sandhagen discovered that out the exhausting method. He was completely outworked by the unrelenting cardio machine that’s Dvalishvili, who has additionally improved his hanging. It initially appeared like a foul thought for Dvalishvili to strike with the challenger, however he almost stopped Sandhagen within the second spherical and placed on a panoramic show of relentless strain, wrestling and hanging all through the 5 rounds. The one factor that prevented this struggle from getting an A is that Sandhagen, albeit resilient, merely wasn’t aggressive sufficient within the later rounds. A struggle shouldn’t be this a lot enjoyable for Dvalishvili, however it’s.
End result: Pyfer defeats Magomedov by second-round submission
Grade: B
After a primary spherical wherein the heavy-handed Pyfer had everybody questioning what he was doing grappling with Magomedov, “Bodybagz” showcased his technique in Spherical 2 by scoring a stunning submission. Pyfer got here into the second spherical with full drive and punished Magomedov with a pair of proper palms that put him on the canvas. As soon as once more, Pyfer went to his grappling and chased Magomedov to the mat. However this time he made all of it work as he deftly shifted from an arm triangle to a rear-naked choke to get the job finished. Say what you need about Pyfer’s boisterous character, however he certain is enjoyable to look at.
End result: Zalal defeats Emmett by first-round submission
Grade: B
This was about as elegant as a submission win will get. What was speculated to be an all-out matchup between the bull (Emmett) and the matador (Zalal) grew to become a fast masterclass in wrestling and grappling, as “The Moroccan Satan” swiftly put an finish to the struggle. A slick takedown helped Zalal rapidly transition to an armbar and drive Emmett to verbally faucet. It’s exhausting to imagine that this Zalal was the identical man who the UFC ousted after he went winless in 4 fights from 2020 to 2022. Since his return, Zalal is 5-0 with 4 submission wins. And this win over Emmett was simply probably the most spectacular of the bunch.
End result: Santos defeats Yoo by second-round TKO
Grade: B
The vitality was palpable between these two, as Santos fired off flashy strikes whereas Yoo performed to the followers together with his participating charisma. However Santos proved that charisma doesn’t win fights — punching individuals within the face does. After an entertaining first spherical wherein Yoo mocked each strike Santos missed, the Brazilian made certain “Zombie Jr.” would don’t have anything to make enjoyable of in Spherical 2 by drilling Yoo with a left hand. Yoo was unable to flee as “Willycat” pounded his fallen opponent to a end. An all-around entertaining affair.
End result: Shahbazyan defeats Muniz by first-round TKO
Grade: B
The time when Shahbazyan was thought of a sizzling prospect within the UFC seems like an eternity in the past, however “The Golden Boy” could be discovering his stride together with his win on Saturday. Muniz seemed to be gaining momentum within the opening spherical, as he broke via with an uppercut. However he acquired slightly too careless and was rocked throughout an trade that he began and Shahbazyan completed with a counter left hook because the spherical headed to its conclusion. With beneath 10 seconds remaining, Shahbazyan rammed a collection of elbows into Muniz’s head till he couldn’t defend himself, and the struggle was halted with 2 seconds left within the spherical. It’s exhausting to imagine that Shahbazyan continues to be solely 27 years previous, however this efficiency may even see him lastly get near the excessive expectations he had when he entered the UFC in 2018.
End result:Gautier defeats Vines by first-round TKO
Grade: C+
This was a grotesque mismatch that solely occurred as a result of Vines stepped in for Ozzy Diaz on lower than per week’s discover to maintain the highly effective Gautier on the cardboard. The outcome was a one-sided squash match wherein Vines regarded helpless in his Octagon debut. He ate a knee early throughout an ill-fated takedown try and was later punched into defeat. In the event you like knockouts, that is for you. In the event you like aggressive fights, don’t waste your time.
End result: Brahimaj defeats Vanderford by second-round submission
Grade: C
Brahimaj woke everybody up after a gradual first spherical with a vicious second-round head kick that reduce Vanderford over his left eye and led to the ending sequence. Earlier than the pinnacle kick there wasn’t a lot to speak about as a result of Vanderford held Brahimaj down for everything of the primary spherical with little or no motion. However the sound of Brahimaj’s head kick snapped everybody out of their slumber and left Vanderford scrambling for a takedown. As a substitute, he discovered himself on the flawed finish of Brahimaj’s guillotine choke. You’ll should endure over a spherical of nothingness to get to an entertaining conclusion.
End result: Hardy defeats Walker by unanimous resolution
Grade: C-
Hardy had her method with Walker within the opening contest. After dominating her in all facets of the struggle in Spherical 1, together with a close to armbar end, she simply relied on her hanging to lump up Walker’s face in Spherical 2. That mentioned, Walker hadn’t received since 2021 and was completely overmatched in a one-way struggle that lacked any notable moments however acquired Hardy again into the win column. .
End result: Basharat defeats Gutierrez by unanimous resolution
Grade: C-
This struggle was positive. Not good, not unhealthy. It simply type of occurred. Basharat stored his undefeated report with a workmanlike resolution. He outwrestled Gutierrez within the opening spherical and damage him with a proper hand in Spherical 2, however needed to overcome some adversity within the closing spherical after Gutierrez swarmed him with punches. Basharat did every thing he wanted to do to win, however in case you’re on the lookout for a cause to exit of your technique to watch this struggle, you received’t discover one.
End result: Santos defeats Chiasson by unanimous resolution
Grade: D+
Exterior of a last-minute cost by Chiasson wherein she desperately sought to complete the struggle with a rear-naked choke, this was a fairly common affair that went the gap, with Santos doing sufficient to choose up one other win. For the primary 13 minutes, there wasn’t something thrilling contained in the Octagon, as Santos received the exchanges however by no means had Chiasson in any severe bother. It was a serviceable struggle that lacked entertaining moments.
End result: Soriano defeats Veretennikov by unanimous resolution
Grade: D+
In case you are eager about a struggle with a bunch of failed guillotine choke makes an attempt, that is for you. The highly effective Soriano spent nearly all of the struggle muscling round Verentennikov together with his wrestling and ground-and-pound. Verentennikov had no actual reply for the takedowns outdoors of guillotine choke makes an attempt. None of them labored, and the struggle slowed to a crawl within the closing spherical, as Soriano received his third consecutive struggle at welterweight. Normally, Soriano can entertain, however he fell brief in that division, regardless of the win.
