Despite all the Apex slop, every once in a while, the UFC reminds us why they are the MMA leader. When they match up the best fighters in the world properly and put them in sold out arenas, it can create magical moments. That’s what we saw at UFC 320 as Alex Pereira regained his belt in emphatic fashion, Merab Dvalishvili got one step closer to history, and Jiri Prochazka delivered what we have become accustomed to, coming from him, but shouldn’t take for granted.
UFC 320 was the type of exciting night that reminded us why we come together to watch people fistfight on Saturdays. Now, a look at what comes next for the main card winners.
Alex Pereira
Usually, when fighters say they were sick or injured to justify a bad performance, it just sounds like excuses to try and save face. But when you then follow those comments by bulldozing through your opponent in the rematch, it’s impossible not to believe you. And that’s what “Poatan” did. He said he was just 40% in the first fight against Magomed Ankalaev and how you can you not believe him after he just needed a minute and twenty seconds to blast through him in the rematch?
A trilogy is completely off the table as Ankalaev, who already wasn’t the UFC’s favourite fighter, now needs to earn back the respect it took years for him to accrue. Carlos Ulberg is definitely owed a title shot, but I don’t think that shot will come against Pereira. The Brazilian superstar has been very vocal about his interest in a move up to heavyweight. There have been talks in recent years about the promotion’s lack of stars, but Pereira has been the exception to that narrative for quite some time now. He emphatically regained the hype he lost in March by delivering yet another spectacular, memorable highlight. He has 100% earned the right to become the promotion’s first ever three-division champion. From Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev to Zhang Weili, the UFC has been forcing their champions to vacate their belt if they wish to chase another one. Pereira clearly wanted his belt back, but I don’t think he’d refuse to let it go if it meant a shot at the heavyweight crown. Yes, Carlos Ulberg is a fresh face, but Pereira is 6-0 against his division’s top 6 contenders. There is no doubt that the most interesting thing he can do is fight for a chance at true immortality, and that won’t happen at 205 pounds (Pereira did have a callout for Jon Jones, but pulled it back in light of Jones brother Arthur passing away last week).
Pereira’s next fight: Aspinall/Gane winner
Merab Dvalishvili
What can you say about “The Machine” that hasn’t already been said? He wasn’t everyone’s favourite fighter, and probably still isn’t, but what used to be disdain from the sport’s fanbase has turned into admiration for his resumé. He’s now 6-0 against his division’s top 10 and 5-0 against the top 4. Remarkable.
He did just go 25 full minutes with a very game Cory Sandhagen that touched him up in certain spots, but no champion has ever defended their titles four times in a calendar year. Just like Pereira has earned the right to go for a third title, Merab has earned the right to make history as well. If he wants to fight in December, the UFC needs to afford him that opportunity. His most interesting stylistic matchup is still Umar Nurmagomedov, but that man has business to settle with Mario Bautista later this month. The first fight wasn’t very competitive, but Petr Yan has fought his way back to a title shot. The man has won three consecutive bouts, and the timing works out for December. Let’s not overthink this: book it.
Dvalishvili’s next fight: Petr Yan
Jiri Prochazka
In a sport that attracts a lot of strange and unique characters, Jiri Prochazka stands out as the epitome of being “one of one”. There simply is no one quite like him. He’s like if Dricus Du Plessis’ unorthodox habits merged with Justin Gaethje’s appetite for violence and chaos. He’s the type of fighter you show your friends if you want them to get into this sport. You could watch MMA until the day you die and not find another Jiri Prochazka.
It’s no wonder the promotion will keep looking to put him in big spots. Unfortunately for Jiri, Alex Pereira winning in the main event makes his path muddier. Max Holloway was given a third crack at Alexander Volkanovski because of the competitiveness of their second fight. That is something that cannot be said for Prochazka, as he got iced faster and in even more brutal fashion in his rematch with Pereira than in their first fight. However, if Pereira actually does vacate his belt to go hunt for a third title like I believe he will, that opens things up for the Czech fighter. In that scenario, Prochazka vs Carlos Ulberg books itself for the vacant title.
Prochazka’s next fight: Title shot
Youssef Zalal
“The Moroccan Devil” just needed a minute and thirty-eight seconds to dispatch of top 10 staple Josh Emmett. Yes, Emmett is 40 years old, but Zalal treated him like some unknown regional fighter. The Moroccan came back into the UFC last year and made a splash, going 3-0 with three submissions, but a pedestrian performance against a declining Calvin Kattar in February put a sour taste in the fans’ mouths. What better way to restore the excitement than a quick finish like this one?
Even with Lerone Murphy likely being the next challenger and Brian Ortega hinting at a move up to lightweight, Zalal definitely isn’t lacking in options at featherweight, but I just prefer other matchups than the ones at our disposal right now. I believe Movsar Evloev should fight for the title next, but if he doesn’t, a rematch with Diego Lopes would be awesome. Yair Rodriguez is an option, but I like him and Arnold Allen fighting each other. Aljamain Sterling is on the table, but I prefer Aljo vs Patricio Pitbull. While any of the aforementioned fighters would be fine opponents for Zalal, there is one name that would clearly take the lead should he win his next fight. Steve “Mean Machine” Garcia is facing Zalal’s own teammate, David Onama, next month in a main event. If Garcia defeats Zalal’s teammate to win his seventh straight contest, there is no doubt that Zalal will try to avenge that loss for Onama.
Zalal’s next fight: Steve Garcia (if victorious vs David Onama)
Joe Pyfer
Joe Pyfer came into the promotion with quite a bit of hype. The UFC is clearly very invested in him, but his failure against Jack Hermansson is still too recent to really forget about it. Nevertheless, three consecutive victories since then have at least earned him a shot at redemption. To truly test whether Pyfer has learned from his mistakes or not, you need to give him another Hermansson-type test. I think the closest thing the UFC has to that in the middleweight division, currently, is someone like Roman Dolidze. The Georgian fighter had strung together a couple of wins, but coming off that bad loss to Anthony Hernandez, he needs to fight backwards in order to keep his spot in the top 15. Why not defend it against someone like Joe Pyfer?
Pyfer’s next fight: Roman Dolidze
