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Magomed Ankalaev issues violent prediction for UFC 320 rematch with Alex Pereira

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 9:55 AM ET

Magomed Ankalaev plans to put a definitive end to his rivalry with Alex Pereira now that their rematch has finally been announced.

The pair first met at UFC 313 last year, where Ankalaev ended Pereira’s reign as light heavyweight champion when he took a unanimous decision victory over the fan favorite.

“Poatan” had previously defended the light heavyweight belt three times. After taking a bit of time off, it was finally confirmed that Pereira will get an immediate chance to reclaim his title after Dana White announced that the rematch with Ankalaev will headline UFC 320 on October 4.

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Magomed Ankalaev Promises To KO Alex Pereira

The highly-anticipated fight has understandably been the talk of the MMA community since it was announced, and it didn’t take long after White broke the news for Ankalaev to send a cryptic message to both fans and Pereira.

Dana White announced my next fight on October 4th, I’m knocking Alex out this time. There is no other way, get ready for the big show.
— Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) July 22, 2025

“Dana White announced my next fight on October 4th, I’m knocking Alex out this time. There is no other way, get ready for the big show.”

Many fans expected that Ankalaev might try and test Pereira’s grappling during their initial meeting at UFC 313, but instead “Poatan” came up short on the scorecards after a fight that largely took place on the feet.

"Poatan" Gets A Chance At Revenge

Still only 15 fights into his professional MMA career, Pereira won his first three UFC bouts to earn a middleweight title shot against his former kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya that he won via TKO during the final round.

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The 38-year-old relinquished the middleweight belt in an immediate rematch with Adesanya before he moved up to light heavyweight, where he went 5-0 with four stoppage-wins during his title run before he ran into Ankalaev last year.

Ankalaev does boast a number of wins by KO/TKO on his UFC record even if he does lack the kind of one-punch knockout power that has helped make Pereira such a massive star, and on October 4 both men will have the chance to trade strikes once again at UFC 320 in Las Vegas.