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Brett Okamoto
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Brett Okamoto
ESPN Staff Writer
- Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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Jeff Wagenheim
A former light heavyweight champion has regained the throne again. Alex Pereira needed less than 90 seconds Saturday night to overwhelm Magomed Ankalaev and take back the belt he lost to Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March.
In an equally masterful — albeit much more drawn out — appearance in the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili again proved why he’s nicknamed “The Machine.” Dvalishvili earned his third men’s bantamweight title defense in a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen. The champion successfully took down Sandhagen 20 times and appeared unfazed by the end of the five-round gauntlet. Is it possible that Dvalishvili is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now?
Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim give their takeaways from those title fights, as well as a vintage knockout from Jiří Procházka on Khalil Rountree Jr.
Pereira’s revenge leaves fans and contemporaries awed
“Vengeance is never a good thing,” a stone-faced Pereira said after Saturday’s UFC 320 main event, speaking through an interpreter with the light heavyweight belt once again wrapped around his waist. “It’s kind of a poison sometimes.”
Ankalaev might agree with that sentiment after being quickly and violently dethroned by Pereira in a rematch of their March bout, in which the Russian had taken away the title. But the roaring fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and, undoubtedly, many watching at home found that vengeance to be an awe-inspiring spectacle to watch unfold.
It was heart-pounding. It was scary. It was wildly impressive. And it will live on in the memories of all who witnessed it.
Pereira had already secured his place as a star and a legend in the making. This night’s 80-second demolition added one more highlight to his wondrous legacy. How many more great moments can he give the fans?
Pereira is 38 years old. He doesn’t have time to waste, and he made that clear from the moment the fight began, surging across the cage and unleashing a big punch just seconds in. That one didn’t connect, but he remained on the offensive and connected with a sledgehammer right hand less than a minute into the fight, wobbling Ankalaev, who responded with a desperation takedown attempt. Pereira defended it, ended up on top and proceeded to drop more than two dozen unanswered punches and elbows until referee Herb Dean mercifully jumped in.
The electrifying finish left one of Pereira’s past conquests, former champion Procházka, so impressed that he was near tears backstage. Another top 205-pound contender, Carlos Ulberg, gave due respect to Pereira, too. These elite light heavyweights couldn’t help but marvel at the titleholder in their division.
In the end, though, it was Pereira who showed respect in the most heartening way. During his postfight interview, he paused to ask for a moment of silence in the arena for the family of Arthur Jones, who died this week. The former NFL player is the older brother of the greatest MMA light heavyweight of all, Jon Jones. It speaks volumes about Pereira that, in his moment of triumph, he took time from his celebration to offer comfort to a fellow fighting legend.
Wow Alex 🙏🏾
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) October 5, 2025
The one point Pereira did want the world to hear before leaving the cage was that the fighter who lost to Ankalaev seven months ago was a compromised version. Pereira had said in the lead-up to the rematch that he was dealing with hand and leg injuries in the first fight. “I told everyone I was not in a good condition last time; nobody believed it,” Pereira said. “You saw it.”
Yes, we did. And it sent chills. — Wagenheim
Dvalishvili is the No. 1B pound-for-pound fighter in the world
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Merab Dvalishvili defeats Cory Sandhagen to retain bantamweight title
Merab Dvalishvili wins by unanimous decision over Cory Sandhagen to retain his UFC bantamweight championship.
Islam Makhachev is not going to be happy with me for this one — and he’ll have an opportunity to spin the narrative next month when he moves up in weight to fight welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 — but right now, there are two considerations for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world: Ilia Topuria and Dvalishvili. Topuria, the lightweight champion, is still No. 1 with me because of his ability to put people away, but it’s hard to remember anything like what Dvalishvili is doing.
A few stats for you from his fight against Sandhagen: 20 of 37 on takedown attempts, 385 attempted strikes and the first UFC fighter with 100 career takedowns (117 total). Sandhagen was so ready for this opportunity. He was confident, he believed in his game plan and his ability to execute — and Dvalishvili ran him out of the arena, smiling as he did it. In his fourth title fight in 13 months. All of the hyperbole in the world isn’t enough to describe this. It feels like he’s picking up steam. He is completely unbothered in these title fights. There has been no stress in any of this for him. It’s incredible.
Makhachev is a generational fighter and arguably close to surpassing the legacy of his retired mentor and teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov. And here I am, claiming there are two fighters better than him in the world. The sport of MMA is seeing three all-time talents in Topuria, Dvalishvili and Makhachev. Dvalishvili is officially behind Topuria for me at the moment, but it ain’t by much. — Okamoto
Peak Procházka can still be a UFC champion
There are still questions about Procházka! Yes, he has lost twice to Pereira, and when a fighter loses two title fights to the same opponent, it can lead to a long path back to a championship fight and, frankly, a loss of faith from the fan base. It didn’t help that Procházka lost those two title fights to Pereira within seven months.
But here’s what can be easy to forget: The first time Procházka lost to Pereira, he was coming back from a 17-month layoff and a serious shoulder injury. The second time they fought, they had agreed to step up and headline UFC 303 on a few weeks’ notice after Conor McGregor pulled out with a broken toe. I’m not saying any of this to take away from Pereira, but both of those losses featured less-than-ideal circumstances for Procházka. Those are also his only two losses in the past 10 years.
Obviously, Procházka can’t claim he’s the best light heavyweight in the world because he has lost to Pereira twice and he’s never fought Ankalaev. But that literally might be the case. And he might still prove it yet. — Okamoto