Potential matchups for main-card winners after UFC 320

Alex Pereira has a super fight at heavyweight 

Pereira got his revenge against Magomed Ankalaev after he lost by decision in their title fight earlier this year. Pereira got the stoppage early in the first round after stunning Ankalaev and finishing on the ground with vicious elbows. 

Pereira mentioned his ambition to move up to heavyweight in his post-fight interview when asked about his potential next matchup. Through his translator, Pereira told Maddyn Johnstone-Thomas, “I want to have a bigger challenge at heavyweight and that’s basically it.” 

It’s unclear whether Pereira would get a title shot in his first fight at heavyweight, but with the lackluster state of the heavyweight division. it wouldn’t be surprising for Pereira to immediately fight for the title. 

With Tom Aspinall facing Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 for the heavyweight title later this month, it would make sense for Pereira to face the winner for the heavyweight belt. 

If Aspinall is able to retain his belt, an Aspinall and Pereira matchup could be just as intriguing as the Aspinall and Jon Jones fight that never materialized.

Merab Dvalishvili rematches Umar Nurmagomedov in his next title defense

Dvalishvili dominated Cory Sandhagen in his unanimous decision win for his third title defense in the calendar year. He’s fought and won against everyone at the top of the rankings. 

Dvalishvili’s toughest fight as the Bantamweight champion has been against Nurmagomedov. Both have amazing wrestling and are able to mix it up on the feet as well. 

Nurmagomedov suffered a broken hand in their fight at UFC 311. It will be a true test for Dvalishvili to face a healthy Nurmagomedov. 

Nurmagomedov is facing Mario Bautista at UFC 321, so the timeline for both fighters matches up well.

Jiri Prochazka fights for the title

Assuming Pereira will move up to heavyweight, he will almost certainly have to vacate the Light Heavyweight belt. This is good for Prochazka since he has previously lost to Pereira twice, both times by knockout. 

Prochazka  knocking out Khalil Rountree Jr. in the third round of their bout proved  his case for another title shot. 

The fight that would make sense would be No. 3-ranked contender Carlos Ulberg. Ulberg’s timeline matches up with Prochazka after he knocked out Dominick Reyes the week prior to UFC 320 in Perth at Fight Night. 

This fight would be a great striking matchup on the feet with a lot of action, providing great entertainment for the fans. Prochazka has only lost to Pereira since coming to the UFC, so fighting a fresh face in a title fight could be what is needed to draw in a huge crowd for this matchup. 

Youssef Zalal gets a chance to keep climbing the rankings

Zalal had a quick finish of No. 7-ranked Josh Emmett. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt was spot on with his grappling, getting Emmett to verbally submit from an armbar in the first round. 

A great test for Zalal would be No. 6-ranked featherweight Aljamain Sterling. Sterling is an elite wrestler with amazing cardio. It would be a fun matchup to see two great grapplers going back and forth. 

Sterling wants to fight for the title, but in a stacked featherweight division, he will have to wait in line for his shot. In the meantime, Zalal would be a perfect opponent for Sterling to prove he is still ready to compete for the title.

Joe Pyfer gets ranked

There’s a chance after his second-round submission against Abus Magomedov that Pyfer enters the rankings of the middleweight division. In the first fight of the main card, Pyfer proved his resilience after losing the first round and coming back to get the finish. 

Regardless of if he’s able to get ranked, Pyfer should get a shot at No. 14-ranked Marvin Vettori. This would be a really fun matchup. Both fighters are hard hitters who can also take hits. This bout would be super entertaining for fans to see.