Overview

• Magomed Ankalaev defends the UFC light heavyweight title against Alex Pereira on Oct. 4 at T‑Mobile Arena, with the main card at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
• Pereira says he was about 40% in March and credits a rested, U.S.-based camp for a turnaround; Ankalaev rejects that framing, cites Ramadan’s impact on his first camp, and vows a more aggressive rematch.
• Betting markets list Ankalaev as the favorite around -260, with expert picks divided as ESPN’s panel and Alexander Volkanovski lean to the champion while others see a rejuvenated Pereira as live underdog.
• In their first meeting at UFC 313, Ankalaev won a unanimous decision after outstriking Pereira over five rounds while the former kickboxing champion stuffed every takedown attempt.
• The co-main event features Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen for the bantamweight title, with Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. and Joe Pyfer vs. Abus Magomedov also on a card that could define the next light heavyweight contender.