As expected, Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira will run it back.
UFC CEO Dana White on Tuesday announced the rematch for the light heavyweight championship has been officially booked to headline UFC 320 on Oct. 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. White shared the news, along with other big matchups, on Instagram Live.
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The rematch between Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) and Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) has been talked about ever since Ankalaev dethroned Pereira with a close unanimous decision victory to claim the 205-pound title on March 8. In the ensuing months, the two men have feuded on social media, with Ankalaev growing impatient while he waited for Pereira to agree to the rematch.
At one point, there appeared to be a rift between Pereira and the UFC brass following a cryptic tweet from Pereira indicating he was considering retirement because the UFC wasn’t meeting his requests. Pereira went on to blame the post on his X account being hacked.
Prior to losing the title, Pereira, 38, a former middleweight champion, was on a five-fight winning streak that included four consecutive championship bouts.
Ankalaev, 33, hasn’t tasted defeat since being submitted by Paul Craig in 2018, a stretch that includes 14 UFC appearances.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 320: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 booked as main event
