Overview

• The light heavyweight title fight tops UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, airing on ESPN pay-per-view.
• Pereira reiterates he was "about 40%" in their March bout due to cumulative wear and travel, and says he stayed stateside with "no more trips" for this camp.
• The rivalry sharpened after Pereira accused Ankalaev of hiding during a UFC Performance Institute run-in; Ankalaev denies it, says he confronted Pereira, and rejects claims others post to his social media without his sign-off.
• Betting markets and ESPN analysts lean toward Ankalaev, with expert picks citing his March win and well-rounded game, even as notable fighters such as Dricus du Plessis and Stephen Thompson publicly back a Pereira rebound.
• Looking ahead, Pereira acknowledges a possible future move to heavyweight if cutting to 205 pounds becomes difficult, saying he will take it fight by fight.