It’s time to run it back. On Saturday night, light-heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev defends his title against former champ Alex Pereira in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 320 in Las Vegas. The pair first met in March at UFC 313, where Ankalaev secured a unanimous decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 49,46) to claim the division crown. However, the fight was far closer than anticipated — and now the pair meet one more time for all the marbles.
The reigning champion is a -270 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, with Pereira listed as a +220 underdog. The total is set at 3.5 rounds.
Betting Splits
Ankalaev has received 53 percent of total bets, but only 29 percent of the handle, while the fan-favorite “Poatan” accounts for 47 percent of wagers — and a massive 71 percent of the total money as a heavy underdog.
On the UFC 320 main card, Pereira has drawn the second-highest betting handle behind bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili, who has collected 79 percent of the total money wagered on his title defense against Cory Sandhagen.
Ankalaev (21-1-1, 11 KOs) hasn’t lost a fight since March 2018, entering Saturday night on a dominant run. Pereira (12-3-0, 10 KOs), the ninth two-division champ in UFC history, previously defended the light heavyweight belt three times — each by highlight reel knockout — before Ankalaev dethroned him in March.
As for the finish, Ankalaev has +215 odds to win by KO/TKO/DQ, and Pereira is listed at +320.
