5 Fights We Need to See After UFC 320

Alex Pereira isn't done yet. Far from it.

When the Brazilian lost the UFC light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev earlier this year, there was reason to believe his career was drawing to a close. After all, he's 38 years old, with a dozens of taxing fights behind him.

In the main event of Saturday's UFC 320 card in Las Vegas, though, Pereira earned his revenge against Ankalaev, reclaiming the light heavyweight belt with a first-round knockout—a far more decisive outcome than the Russian's close decision win the first time out.

From here, Pereira has options, possibly in multiple weight classes. Whatever the future holds, it's clear he still has more to achieve.

That is certainly true for UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, too.

The Georgian picked up a third consecutive title defense in the UFC 320 co-headliner, defeating a tough Cory Sandhagen on points. The win extended one of the most impressive streaks in the sport and cemented the bantamweight champ as one of the best fighters around at present.

It's going to take an incredible feat for anybody to beat him, but viable challengers do still remain.

Keep scrolling for the fights we'd like to see next for Pereira and Dvalishvili, as well as some matchup ideas for the UFC 320 main card's other big winners.

Alex Pereira vs. Carlos Ulberg

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Alex Pereira has already made his wish clear for his next fight: He is hoping for a clash with a fellow two-division champ in Jon Jones, arguably the best fighter ever.

There's no question that Pereira vs. Jones would be one of the biggest contests in MMA history. That said, Jones recently retired after what he long claimed was a permanent move to heavyweight. The chances of him ending his retirement and moving back down to 205 pounds seem very slim.

With that off the table, the obvious fight to make for Pereira is a title defense against Carlos Ulberg.

Ulberg, a stablemate of Pereira's greatest rival, Israel Adesanya, is currently on the best win streak in the light heavyweight division, highlighted by impressive victories over Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz.

He will be a big underdog against Pereira, but he has more than earned his opportunity to prove the bookmakers wrong.

Of course, it's also possible that the UFC will send Pereira up to heavyweight to fight Tom Aspinall, or that he'll be booked for a third fight with Jiri Prochazka; however, the fight with Ulberg has the most merit.

It would be a fun clash between two of the division's best strikers, and a great way to kick of Pereira's third UFC title reign.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Mario Bautista

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Merab Dvalishvili has been so dominant in the bantamweight division that he'll either need to give somebody he's already beaten another chance, or accept a title challenge from somebody who might not get the opportunity if he hadn't already beaten everyone else.

While a rematch between Dvalishvili and former champ Petr Yan is fairly compelling, their first fight ended with a decisive decision win for the Georgian, so let's go with option two and give the champ a fresh challenge in the form of Mario Bautista.

Bautista, 32, is on a great win streak right now, but the best wins behind him are a slow decision win over fading legend Jose Aldo and a decision win over former Bellator champ Patchy Mix, who was making his UFC debut and has since fallen to 0-2 in the promotion.

Under different circumstances, Bautista would probably have a bit more work to do to earn his first bid at UFC gold, but he's the most accomplished contender Dvalishvili hasn't fought yet.

Dvalishvili wants to fight again in December. Assuming Bautista is ready to jump right into training camp, let's get this one done before the end of the year.

Jiri Prochazka vs. Magomed Ankalaev

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Jiri Prochazka has proved himself as the second-best fighter in the light heavyweight division behind Alex Pereira.

While he has fallen twice to the champion, he's finished everybody else he's met in the Octagon, including the likes of Aleksandar Rakic, Jamahal Hill, and Khalil Rountree Jr., whom he stopped in a Fight of the Night-winning brawl at UFC 320.

After his win over Rountree, there's a chance Prochazka will be granted a third fight with Pereira. That's certainly what he wants. That being said, there's no need to book a trilogy just yet, with a solid contender like Carlos Ulberg waiting for his opportunity. So, let's schedule a fight between Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev.

Ankalaev's brief title reign came to a brutal stop at the hands of Pereira in the UFC 320 main event, but he long ago proved himself as one of the best fighters in the division.

He would make a great test for Prochazka, and a bit of a fresh look compared to the striking specialists the Czech star has been matched up with lately. More importantly, whoever wins will be hard to deny for a title shot sometime in early 2026.

Youssef Zalal vs. Yair Rodriguez

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After an impressive submission win over longtime contender Josh Emmett on the UFC 320 main card, Youssef Zalal is now closing in on a featherweight title shot.

However, he almost certainly has more work to do before getting that opportunity, as Lerone Murphy, Movsar Evloev, and Diego Lopes are all slightly ahead of him in the running.

At the moment, it seems undefeated Murphy will get the next crack at Alexander Volkanovski. Assuming that's the case, that would clear the way for a justifiable rematch between Lopes and Evloev.

Zalal could then be matched up with former interim champ Yair Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, who has also beaten Emmett, would represent a solid step up in competition for Zalal. He seems like the perfect test for the rising contender at this point, and it's an intriguing matchup on paper.

Joe Pyfer vs. Paulo Costa

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Joe Pyfer has now rebounded from a hype-deflating loss to Jack Hermansson with a trio of wins over Marc-Andre Barriault, Kelvin Gastelum, and Abus Magomedov, whom he submitted in the first round at UFC 320.

With those solid victories behind him, he's earned a fight with a ranked middleweight.

As a relative newcomer to the upper echelon of the division, the power-puncher has plenty of options, but there's no need to rush him too quickly. A fight with somebody a few spots outside the top 10 feels like the right move, which means the best option is probably Paulo Costa.

Costa, a former title challenger, is maddeningly inconsistent and inactive, but he remains one of the middleweight division's toughest and most popular fighters.

With a decision win over Roman Kopylov behind him, he's in the perfect position for a fight with a red-hot up-and-comer like Pyfer. It's a fascinating matchup that would surely be preceded by a trash-talk-filled lead-up. Book it before the year is out, and let's see who is ready for a top-10 opponent in 2026.