Two championships are on the line at UFC 320 on Saturday. The main event features a light heavyweight championship rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and the man he defeated to become champion, Alex Pereira. In their first meeting, Ankalaev controlled much of the action to take a unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili puts his bantamweight crown on the line against Cory Sandhagen. Dvalishvili has one of the most impressive resumes in the history of the 135-pound division. He has beaten every top fighter put in front of him. After dropping the first two fights of his UFC career in 2017 and 2018, Dvalishvili has taken down 13 straight opponents, including Sean O’Malley (twice), Umar Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo. He gets a tough opponent in Sandhagen, who finally gets his shot at gold after falling short in title eliminators four times in recent years.
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The undercard is littered with intriguing names looking to get back to title contention. A former champion and former title challenger meet in a featured bout when Jiri Prochazka takes on Khalil Rountree Jr. at light heavyweight. UFC veteran Josh Emmett looks to work his way back into the title picture at 145 pounds when he takes on the fast rising prospect Youssef Zalal. And American middleweight Joe Pyfer has a chance to silence some critics when he takes on Abus Magomedov to open the PPV on Saturday.
It’s the kind of card that may motivate you to add some spice by hitting the sportsbooks and placing a wager or two. With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at all five main card fights for Saturday’s event in Las Vegas to identify the best bet in each.
After a slightly disappointing 2-3 result for our best bets for UFC 319, our 2025 record sits at 20-18. We’ll look to get our roll going again on Saturday, with our only rule remaining that all bets must be at odds of -250 or better. Let’s take a look at this week’s picks with odds via DraftKings.
UFC 320 fight card — Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2: Five biggest storylines to watch in Las Vegas
Brian Campbell
Abus Magomedov vs. Joe Pyfer
Fight to go the distance: No (-245)
This line sits right on the edge of our odds range, but it makes for a solid parlay booster. Pyfer is a solid favorite to win at -265, though Magomedov is a dangerous opponent. We’re going against trends a bit, with Pyfer going to decision in two of his three most recent fights and Magomedov in three of his four most recent. That said, Pyfer has gone to decision in just three of his 17 career fights, and Magomedov has nine decision results in his 35 bouts. This fight may take a bit of time to find the finish, but it should end before hitting the scorecards.
Josh Emmett vs. Youssef Zalal
Youssef Zalal via submission (+450)
Emmett is a tough veteran on a 1-3 run against very good competition. He’s also a 40-year-old in a young man’s division. Zalal is a big, strong featherweight with a good amount of speed. Zalal is also operating at a better level than he has at any point in his career, really leaning into his grappling. Zalal averages more than two takedowns per 15 minutes and Emmett’s takedown defense is leaky at times, with only a 46% defense rate. Yair Rodriguez caught Emmett in an arm-triangle choke four fights ago and Zalal has a solid choke game, both from the back with rear-naked chokes or when he is able to advance position and lock in an arm-triangle, as he did two fights ago against Jack Shore. This is a pretty juicy line and worth a play.
Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Under 1.5 rounds (+114)
This feels like a coin flip fight that could end at any second. Prochazka has built a wildly successful UFC career for someone with such leaky defense. Pereira has twice made Prochazka pay for defensive irresponsibility, but every other UFC opponent eventually got caught by his wide-open striking style. Rountree is plenty willing to throw down in a firefight as well, as seen in his stunningly competitive title fight with Pereira. The mix of styles here feels like it’s perfectly set up for big exchanges right from the opening bell, with Rountree absorbing 4.24 strikes per minute and Prochazka 5.7, and both have enough power to end the fight in a flash. For that reason, we’re leaning toward the under in an explosive light heavyweight contest.
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Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen
Merab Dvalishvili over 5.5 takedowns (-150)
The thinking is simple on this pick. Dvalishvili averages 5.84 takedowns per 15 minutes and this is a 25 minute fight. Sandhagen has 63% takedown defense and that’s against men who aren’t bringing the never-ending pressure and takedowns of Dvalishvili. Even if the champ feels like spending some time striking, he’s going to take Sandhagen down frequently enough that the over should hit. The fight is -330 to go the distance, which means the oddsmakers expect this to go the full five rounds, which is more than enough time for Dvalishvili to impose his will.
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira
Fight to end by KO/TKO/DQ (-120)
Whether Pereira was only “40%” coming into the first fight or not, he’s always a threat to win any fight by knockout. And Ankalaev, in the middle of Ramadan, may not have been at the peak of his physical conditioning in that fight and still outlanded the kickboxer. This is a case where both fighters should be better because of those factors, as well as five rounds of experience sharing the Octagon. Expect a bit more aggressive of an approach from Pereira, who knows he can’t allow the rematch to play out the way the first meeting did. That either means violent success for Pereira, or some big openings for Ankalaev to exploit with his own power. We’re liking an explosive finish to this one.
Who wins UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
