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UFC KO artist books quick turnaround for Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira fight card

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 1:56 PM ET

One of the UFC’s fastest-rising knockout artists already has his next fight booked less than a week after scoring yet another first-round finish.

It’s been a busy few days for fight announcements in the aftermath of UFC 318, as UFC CEO Dana White dropped some bombshell news earlier in the week regarding title bouts for both UFC 320 in Las Vegas and UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.

Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira will rematch for the light heavyweight title in the headlining bout for UFC 320 on October 4, and in the co-main event Merab Dvalishvili will attempt to defend his bantamweight title for the third time when he meets #4-ranked contender Cory Sandhagen.

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Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz Added To UFC 320

UFC 320 immediately became one of the most highly-anticipated events on the UFC calendar following White’s announcement, and the card has apparently added a middleweight matchup featuring an up-and-coming knockout artist.

According to the report from Léo Guimaraes, Ateba Gautier will try to add to his perfect UFC record and extend an incredible streak of finishes when he takes on fellow Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Ozzy Diaz at UFC 320.

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"The Silent Assassin" Books Quick Turnaround After UFC 318

Still just 23 years old, Gautier went 1-1 to start his professional MMA career in a pair of fights that both went the three-round distance.

“The Silent Assassin” hasn’t seen the judges’ scorecards or a third round since then. A four-fight run of first-round knockouts earned him a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024, where the Cameroonian knocked out the formerly-undefeated Yura Naito in the second round.

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Gautier debuted with a brutal first-round knockout against Jose Medina in March before he stopped Robert Valentin in just over a minute at UFC 318 last weekend to earn his second “Performance of the Night” bonus in as many UFC bouts.

Diaz missed out on a UFC contract when he was knocked out by Joe Pyfer on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 before he punched his ticket to the UFC with a pair of finishes in the LFA last year.

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The 34-year-old was stopped in his debut against Mingyang Zhang but defeated Djorden Santos in March, and Diaz will find himself sharing a card with Pyfer once again when he meets Gautier at UFC 320.

• Main Event: Magomed Anakalev vs. Alex Pereira 2 – For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
• Co-Main Event: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen – For the UFC Bantamweight Championship
• Joe Pyfer vs. Abus Magomedov
• Jiří Procházka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Muniz
• Macy Chiasson vs. Yana Santos
• Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz