Preview: UFC 320 ‘Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2’

Light Heavyweights

Jiri Prochazka (31-5-1, 5-2 UFC) vs. Khalil Rountree (14-6, 10-6 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Prochazka (-180), Rountree (+150)

Two recent light heavyweight title challengers look to throw their hat back in this showcase, with the winner in particularly strong position as a fresh challenger if Magomed Ankalaev wins the main event. Hopes were high ahead of Prochazka’s UFC debut in 2020, as the light heavyweight division looked for the man who could carry the weight class past the Jon Jones era. Prochazka certainly brought personality to the proceedings—former Czech soccer hooligans who follow the Bushido code aren’t exactly in great supply—along with the requisite level of entertainment and violence. While there were some questions about his level of competition as he made his name in Japan, it was hard to deny Prochazka’s natural talent and knockout ability. Prochazka wound up living up to the hype and then some, beating Glover Teixeira for the light heavyweight title in his third UFC bout–a wild affair that was one of the best fights of 2022. Almost nothing about what Prochazka brings to the proceedings should be copied from a technical standpoint, particularly his historical lack of defense, but he’s blessed with impressive vision and a natural knack for fighting. Prochazka can absorb the hit and come back with whatever he finds suitable in the moment, which sometimes comes in the form of a looping strike or a spinning elbow that can obliterate opponents once he catches them off guard. Prochazka wound up having to vacate the title before his first defense due to a major shoulder injury, though his eventual return against Alex Pereira essentially served as one. Jamahal Hill had won the title and then vacated it due to injury himself, leaving Prochazka to fight for a vacant belt that he never lost in the first place. At any rate, Pereira’s combination of technical acumen and knockout power proved poisonous for Prochazka in their first fight and a rematch shortly thereafter, both of which ended in second-round knockouts. That left some questions as to how Prochazka would rebound, but he actually looked improved in a January bout against Hill, mixing in enough head movement to finally have some passable defense while remaining the same dedicated wildman that he was in the past. He looks to build on that momentum here against Rountree, another former title contender in career-best form.

Rountree’s UFC debut also came with plenty of hype back in 2016, but unlike Prochazka, it took “The War Horse” a long time to realize that potential. A powerhouse striker, Rountree jumped off the page as a brutal knockout artist even then, but a lot of his early UFC career was spent showing how things could go wrong. Immediately out of the gate, fights against Andrew Sanchez and Tyson Pedro quickly became undone due to Rountree’s lack of takedown and grappling defense. Rountree would continually cycle through ideas from fight to fight, adopting various stances and approaches with each new bout, but nothing ever quite stuck. A 2021 loss to Marcin Prachnio marked the most disappointing of Rountree’s three defeats in four fights, so the book was seemingly written that he was a glass cannon who needed just the right matchup to look impressive. Naturally, that was the moment where things began to click, as Rountree reeled off five straight wins while showing the best form of his career. A somewhat controversial split decision over Dustin Jacoby was the hardest fight of that run and a clear example that Rountree was winning fights that he would have once lost, but there was still some question as to how well his success would translate to title contention. While Rountree looked great against most of his opponents, those foes came with some clear issues that he also figured to be able to exploit. However, the UFC didn’t wait to find out any answers. Rountree was somewhat surprisingly tabbed to challenge Pereira for the light heavyweight title in October, which felt like a clear instance of the promotion favoring entertainment value over rewarding the most deserving contender. To his credit, few fighters have raised their stock in a loss more than Rountree did against Pereira, as he retroactively justified that title shot. Rountree looked sharp early and was clearly ahead until he started to fade, though he even continued to fight back as the tide turned against him before an eventual fourth-round Pereira knockout. A June win over Hill only further affirmed that Rountree has blossomed into an actual contender. It wasn’t the most electric performance, but Rountree consistently took what he was given and left Hill without much of an opportunity to answer. There’s an interesting dynamic—one that was also present on paper if not in practice for Rountree’s fight against Hill. Rountree is at his best and clearly more technically sound early in bouts, but he’s tense enough that he can fade over the long haul. Prochazka is much messier but a more natural fighter who should build his comfort over time. Rountree’s leg kicks were a major weapon against Hill and could prove to pay a lot of dividends in this outing, though it does feel like Prochazka would eventually wind up turning the tide if this were a five-round fight given the general dynamic of how each man’s appearances typically play out. A three-round fight is much harder to call, especially given Rountree’s newfound ability to bend but not break. Nevertheless, Prochazka is closer to the Pereira level of things than Hill and can stay aggressive and dangerous enough to close the show before the final horn. The pick is Prochazka via third-round knockout.



Jump To »
Ankalaev vs. Pereira
Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen
Prochazka vs. Rountree
Zalal vs. Emmett
Pyfer vs. Magomedov
The Prelims