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UFC Champion Magomed Ankalaev drops training footage for Alex Pereira rematch

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 3:47 PM ET

UFC Champion Magomed Ankalaev has officially started camp ahead of his first light heavyweight title defense.

Currently on an unbeaten run that dates back to his second UFC appearance in 2018, Ankalaev successfully claimed the promotion’s light heavyweight belt when he defeated Alex Pereira via unanimous decision at UFC 313.

Following months of speculation around who Ankalaev might face for his first title defense, UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that Pereira will get an immediate chance to reclaim his title when the two men headline UFC 320 on October 4.

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Magomed Ankalaev Starts Training Camp For Alex Pereira Rematch

It didn't take long after White’s announcement for Ankalaev to issue a promise that he would finish Pereira in their rematch, and now it looks like the 33-year-old has started preparing for the highly-anticipated fight (h/t Red Corner MMA).

Magomed Ankalaev kicks off his fight camp for Alex Pereira ahead of UFC 320

@AnkalaevM pic.twitter.com/6wUgOgYsHP
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 29, 2025

"Poatan" Gets Opportunity To Reclaim Light Heavyweight Title

Firmly established as one of the biggest stars on the UFC roster, Pereira successfully defended the light heavyweight belt three times after stopping Jiří Procházka to win the vacant title at UFC 295.

An initial 5-0 run at light heavyweight followed Pereira’s brief reign as UFC middleweight champion, which ended at UFC 287 when he suffered his first UFC loss in an immediate rematch with his former kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya.

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“Poatan” recently got fans talking about a potential heavyweight title bid when he shared a video where he hit the scale far above 205 lbs. That speculation was quickly shot down with White’s announcement about UFC 320, which will also see Merab Dvalishvili try to defend his bantamweight belt for the third time when he meets Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event.

Pereira initially indicated after a lackluster showing at UFC 313 that he might take some time off after a busy reign with the light heavyweight belt. On October 4, the 38-year-old will have a chance to put in a more convincing effort against Ankalaev and potentially hand the light heavyweight champion his first loss since an infamous promotional debut against Paul Craig in 2018.