ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF AARON FIERROS '26
UFC v. Paramount
Next weekend, on Saturday, Oct. 4, Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev will rematch in Las Vegas.
Previously, in UFC 313, Ankalaev won and took the Light Heavyweight Champion title from Pereira by unanimous decision. This weekend, Pereira has a chance to reclaim his title, while Ankalaev is fighting to retain his title.
At 32, Magomed Ankalaev, another one of the supernatural specimens that has been produced out of Dagestan, Russia’s notorious city of fighters, took down Alex Pereira. Pereira, the knockout artist fighting out of São Paulo, went from a dominant kickboxing career to holding UFC champion titles in two different weight classes, becoming one of the most dangerous strikers in the sport.
Pereira is undoubtedly more experienced, but he is nearing the end of his career, which is slowing him down. While Pereira is fighting against a younger fighter who is in his prime, fans are speculating that he will push himself harder, as this will likely be one of his final fights on a stage. Pereira has had a long career in MMA, giving him an edge, but that long career has been up for debate on whether it is beneficial or detrimental.
UFC fan and casual Martial Arts fighter Russell Laykin ‘26 thinks that “Pereira is old, he’s pushing 40! We are going to see a brutal knockout by Ankalaev,” stating that Ankalaev should have no problem keeping his “uncontested light-heavyweight title.”
In contrast, Pereira supporter Jameson Scotti ‘28 shared that “Pereira has been in the UFC and fighting for so long, I think his his skill and determination will outweigh his age deterioration. I think Pereira will win the rematch.”
But no matter the winner, UFC 320 is guaranteed to be an amazing watch.
In other UFC news, on August 11, 2025, UFC sold its media rights to Paramount, securing a 7.7 billion dollar 7-year contract, switching from the legacy Pay-Per-View model to a more affordable $8.99 monthly subscription. This is a significant change for the majority of fans, as this change will cause viewership to skyrocket. With a subscription-based plan, retention will climb rapidly.
As of right now, an avid UFC fan Cullen Cooney ’26 states, “I sometimes pay for the Pay-Per-View, but when friends are over, they just use pirating websites to avoid paying the very high prices. The subscription model is way better than Pay-Per-View. It was long overdue for a makeover.”
When asked, Laykin ‘26 claimed that he would “no longer have to illegally stream the fights on CrackStreams, now I only need to pay 10 bucks for it. I’ll actually be a good guy and pay for it this time.”
For Loyola students, this is a monumental change. Already, for the student body, viewership of fights is skyrocketing. Watching a couple fights two-times a month with your friends has never been more fun. With the subscription transition, UFC viewership is bound to hit record highs across the globe and become a scheduled event for Loyola students.