On Saturday, UFC Fight Night took place in Perth, Australia. I made predictions last week on how I thought certain fights would end and who the inevitable winners would be. In the main event, I picked Carlos Ulberg to win against Dominick Reyes, and in the co-main, Jimmy Crute to defeat Ivan Erslan. Both of those picks were correct. Ulberg ended the fight in 4 minutes, 27 seconds by knockout. He landed a well-placed right hand, followed up with ground-and-pound shots for insurance. As I previously mentioned, the winner of this fight will most likely face the winner of Prochazka vs. Rountree. By the end of this week, I believe the light heavyweight title eliminator match will be set. Crute won on familiar ground in his home country by rear-naked choke, displaying his elite jiu-jitsu skills. After the fight, Crute requested to be on the yet-to-be-announced card in Sydney in February. Overall, this card was entertaining and explosive as ever, which was impressive since injuries plagued the main card. When the UFC returns to Australia in February, let’s hope that card will be as good as this one.
This weekend, UFC 320 will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It is headlined by Alex “Poatan” Pereira facing champion Magomed Ankalaev in a light heavyweight title rematch, with Merab Dvalishvili defending his bantamweight championship against Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event. Beyond the title fights, more strong matchups are booked. As with last week, I have predictions for the five-fight main card.
To open the main card, it’s a middleweight bout between Joe Pyfer and Abusupiyan Magomedov. Pyfer won his last fight in June by decision against Kelvin Gastelum, a former championship challenger. He is the betting favorite, and for good reason. He’s a sharp boxer with a high fight IQ. While I don’t expect a finish against the tough Magomedov, I believe Pyfer’s skills will secure a win.
After that, Josh Emmett will take on Youssef Zalal in a featherweight bout. Emmett is coming off a loss to rising star Lerone Murphy in April, while Zalal defeated Calvin Kattar in February. This will be a tough fight, but I think Zalal will be the victor. He has a strong striking style and a wide submission portfolio. A win for Zalal would be a bold statement in the featherweight division and could send him further up the rankings.
Next up is my personal favorite fight of the night: Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree. Both are coming off wins over former champion Jamahal Hill, but Prochazka is favored. I don’t think this fight will go the distance. I pick Prochazka to come out on top by knockout and continue his quest for vengeance and UFC gold.
In the co-main event, Dvalishvili will try to defend his bantamweight championship against Sandhagen. Sandhagen is an incredible fighter, with his last win coming at UFC Des Moines. However, Dvalishvili is above everyone else in the bantamweight division by multiple levels. He will continue his championship reign with a win, but Sandhagen will not make it easy. The fight will likely span all five rounds, with Dvalishvili earning a decision victory.
Finally, Pereira looks to reclaim his light heavyweight championship against Ankalaev in the main event. Ankalaev narrowly defeated Pereira in March in a close fight to win the title. The decision sent shockwaves through the UFC community, as many fans thought “Poatan” was robbed of a victory. I think Pereira will come out on top in the rematch. With how much this fight means to him and how deadly his striking is, it’s hard to bet against a knockout victory.
UFC 320 will be available for purchase on ESPN+ and streams Saturday, Oct. 4, at 9 p.m. ET.
