Alex Pereira walking with the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship belt after his victory at UFC 320, wearing black and gold fight shorts and UFC championship gear.

CruxBuzz Staff

UFC 320: Pereira’s 80-Second KO, Dvalishvili’s 20-Takedown Record

Alex Pereira reclaimed the UFC light heavyweight title with a stunning first-round knockout of Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Pereira, who had lost the belt to Ankalaev by unanimous decision at UFC 313 in March, landed a powerful right hand early that stunned the champion, followed by a series of elbows that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight just 80 seconds into the first round.

The quick victory was a dramatic reversal from their first meeting, where Ankalaev had controlled the fight over five rounds. Pereira had claimed he wasn’t at full health for their first bout, and his performance tonight seemed to validate those statements.

In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended his title for the third time with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen. The judges scored it 49-45, 49-45, and 49-46 in favor of the champion.


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Dvalishvili overwhelmed Sandhagen with his relentless wrestling pressure, landing a record-setting 20 takedowns on 37 attempts. This marks a new UFC record for takedowns in a title fight and the second-most in any UFC bout. The champion took control in the second round, dropping Sandhagen with punches and landing eight takedowns while outstriking him 33-2 in significant strikes during that frame.

“Remember, I said my plan is to knock him out. Almost, almost,” Dvalishvili said after the fight. “Now I think people will respect my striking, too.”

The win extends Dvalishvili’s impressive streak to 14 consecutive victories, the fourth-longest in UFC history. He hasn’t lost a fight since April 2018 and has now landed 117 total takedowns in his UFC career, extending his own record. Dvalishvili also became the first UFC fighter to achieve 100 career takedowns.

In other main card action, former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka knocked out Khalil Rountree Jr. in the third round after a back-and-forth battle. Youssef Zalal continued his impressive return to the UFC by submitting Josh Emmett with an armbar in the first round, extending his winning streak to eight straight fights with a 5-0 record since rejoining the promotion. Joe Pyfer submitted Abus Magomedov with a rear-naked choke in the second round.The event, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, was available on ESPN+ pay-per-view for $79.99, with preliminary fights airing on FX and ESPN+.

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