by Sam Phipps
As soon as UFC 320 was announced, I knew it was going to be an exciting night. With both Magomed Ankalev and Merab Dvalishvili defending their titles, I hoped they wouldn’t go down so easily. Besides the title defenders, I’ve seen clips of Jiri Prochazka fighting but never a full fight. Additionally, I watched Khalil Rountree Jr. fight Alex Pereira which was a great fight. Other than those fighters, Joe Pyfer, Abus Magomedov, Josh Emmett, Youssef Zalal, and Cory Sandhagen were all new to me.
The night started with Pyfer vs. Magomedov. Round 1 was relatively slow with Pyfer getting a takedown. Magomedov was able to maneuver his way on top and put Pyfer in a dangerous position. Before the round ended, Magomedov was able to land some solid front kicks and powerful jabs at Pyfer. Round 2 started, and Pyfer came out strong! He pressured Magomedov the entirety of round 2. Pyfer was able to get a takedown on Magomedov and put him in a rear naked choke. Magomedov tapped and Pyfer won by submission.
The second fight was between Josh Emmett and Youssef Zalal. Round 1 was dominated by Zalal with a nice takedown at the start. Suddenly, Zalal had Emmett in a nasty arm bar where Emmett had to verbally tap out. It was a brutal watch because his arm looked like it was going to snap! In the post-match interview, Zalal commented that he’s been working on his wrestling a lot more, and you could definitely tell from that performance.
The third matchup was Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jiri Prochazka. Both of these fighters were very defensive at the start of round 1. Rountree was able to land some solid hits on Prochazka throughout this round, whereas Prochazka couldn’t connect. Rountree came out swinging in round 2, landing jabs and hooks on Jiri’s body. All of Rountree’s blows were landing throughout this fight, and Jiri had a hard time connecting throughout round 2. Then, Round 3 was a full out brawl. While both Rountree and Jiri landed their punches, the fight slowed through the round as both fighters were drained. Jiri was able to land a final blow and knock Rountree down. It was by far one of the most exciting fights I’ve watched.
The fourth matchup was Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen. At the start of round 1, both were very on guard and defensive. Merab was very jumpy and quick on his feet, whereas Cory was very technical and precise in his movements. Round 1 was dominated by Merab with his grappling and wrestling skills. Round 2 was controlled by Merab with great takedowns and a nice flurry of punches. He was close to knocking out Cory, but he showed great durability and got back up. Rounds 3, 4, and 5 were all controlled by Merab. He successfully defended his title and showed why he’s the bantamweight champion with his grappling and wrestling skills.
The final bout was Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. As soon as round 1 started, Pereira came out swinging, and it looked like Ankalaev didn’t expect him to start out so aggressive. Pereira was able to land a hookshot on Ankalaev that allowed him to get on top. While Ankalaev was pinned, Pereira was on top swinging down at him. The ref had to call the fight because Ankalaev wasn’t fighting back. It was a quick title fight, but an exciting one to watch! Pereira reclaimed the belt and is champ of the light heavyweight division once again.
This was one of the best title cards I’ve watched in a while. All the fights were exciting to watch and each fighter put on a show. Although some of the fights didn’t last a full round, they were still entertaining. I’m interested to see who’ll challenge Merab and Pereira for their titles in the near future.
