Pereira TKOs Ankalaev in under 2 minutes, regains UFC title

"Poatan" is back on top of the world.

Alex Pereira hammered Magomed Ankalaev with elbows on the ground and scored a TKO finish at the 1:20 mark of the first round to reclaim the light heavyweight title in the UFC 320 main event Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

With the victory, Pereira avenged a unanimous decision loss to Ankalaev that occurred at UFC 313 in March.

Pereira closed the distance as soon as the fight started, looking to land punches. He tagged Ankalaev with a hard right hand that forced the Dagestani to shoot a takedown. Pereira fended off the attempt, got on top, and began teeing off with punches and then elbows. Referee Herb Dean gave Ankalaev a few moments to try to escape the position, but he eventually stepped in and waved off the fight.

Pereira became the third person to win the UFC light heavyweight title twice, joining Randy Couture and Jon Jones. The 38-year-old Brazilian improved to 6-1 in his last seven Octagon appearances. He now sits at 10-2 in the promotion overall.

Pereira, a former middleweight champion and one of 10 two-division titleholders in UFC history, first captured 205-pound gold in November 2023, knocking out Jiri Prochazka in the second round at UFC 295. He defended the belt three times in 2024 with finishes of Jamahal Hill, Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. before losing to Ankalaev earlier this year.

Ankalaev suffered just the second defeat of his professional career, falling to 21-2-1 (1 NC). The 33-year-old was riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak and hadn't lost since his UFC debut in 2018.