One Title Stays Another Goes: The Extraordinary Night of UFC 320
If there was ever a card that could’ve over-delivered on its promises of grandeur, it was this evening's UFC 320, a PPV filled with the elite fighting the elite and magnificently finishing each other. The main card started with three back-to-back finishes followed by two excellent title fights. Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jiři Procházka put on what may have been the fight of the year in a three-round war for the ages. Jiři must’ve decided sometime before the fight that the best way to block a punch was with his forehead because for the better part of 15 minutes, he walked down and absorbed shots from one of the division’s hardest hitters. Rountree looked fantastic until late in the third, when he began to fade. Unfortunately, if there is a fighter you cannot give an inch to, it’s Jiři Procházka. The tide was turned, and with a rally composed of pure grit and determination, Jiři delivered a string of combinations that ended with a long left hook to knock out the former title challenger. The Czech Samurai showed once again that counting him out is only to your own detriment.
The co-main for the evening, Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen, was a full five rounds of some of the highest-level mixed martial arts imaginable. Sandhagen took round one by utilizing a deep and creative toolbox of striking techniques and incredibly impressive takedown defense. The skills Cory displayed would have given any of the division’s best a hard day, except Merab. The following four rounds were a showing of relentless pace and offense. The champion nearly finished the challenger in the second before going on to smother him the next three rounds with his bottomless cardio and unstoppable grappling. More impressive than anything, however, was Merab’s striking. Against arguably the best striker at bantamweight, Merab pushed forward and made the fight grimy. Dirty boxing and quick knees kept Sandhagen on the back foot the full 25 minutes. After a showing like that, it’s hard to imagine who could beat Merab, but only time will tell.
The final fight of the evening. A rematch between two fantastic light heavyweights, Alex “Poatan” Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. It took one round. Less than one round, actually. Pereira came out with more force than I had ever seen him display. There was no thought of retreat or backing down. The now two-time Light Heavyweight Champion charged forward and delivered a devastating overhand right that sent Magomed panicking towards the legs of Pereira. Poatan quickly defended the takedown and proceeded to pursue Ankalaev with vicious ground and pound. Hammer fists and elbows rained down on the fallen champion until referee Herb Dean broke them apart. This marks yet another knockout victory for Pereira and yet another championship tenure for the legendary fighter. What the future holds for this future hall of gamer is unknown, but what is certain is that no matter what, it will be full of violence.
