Magomed Ankalaev was forced to defend his UFC light-heavyweight title in an immediate rematch with Alex Pereira on Saturday night.
And the Dagestan native was quickly stopped in a main event that was seen as vital for the future of the sport given Pereira’s massive star power. Loud boos rang through the T-Mobile Arena as Ankalaev made his walk to the octagon, with Jiri Prochazka watching on having won his bout earlier in the night.
The Brazilian has shared a lengthy feud with Ankalaev, and they were able to settle it in a rematch in Las Vegas after March’s showdown at UFC 313 saw Pereira relieved of his title after a legendary – if brief – reign.
Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira 2 UFC 320 result
The action kicked off in front of a clearly pro-Alex Pereira crowd, with the Brazilian returning to the scene of some of his greatest triumphs. And within seconds he dropped the champion, unleashing elbows from the top and scoring a TKO within a minute.
His right hand sent Magomed Ankalaev crashing down and he refused to move into a new position as Pereira rained down elbows from the top.
Ankalaev seemed baffled by the pressure of Pereira, who came out of the traps like a man possessed. Once he had scored his knockout, he used his infamous emote over the former champion, as Prochazka appeared to be holding back tears from cageside.