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The Brazilian fighter needed only one minute and 22 seconds to recapture the light heavyweight title after overcoming Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320.

The win came half a year after he experienced a unanimous points loss to the Dagestani fighter at UFC 313.

The 38-year-old, that had evidently taken lessons from his setback in March, wasted no time by connecting with a massive right hand.

The Vegas crowd exploded as the dual-weight titleholder stunned the his opponent with a heavy blow before referee Herb Dean ended the bout following a number of violent elbows to the head.

"Revenge is never a positive motive. I mentioned I was compromised in our first fight but no-one believed it, tonight it was evident," the champion remarked following his victory.

"It didn't surprise me, I noticed in the first fight. I avoid excuses but I was unwell that night."

Ankalaev was seeking his thirteenth victory in a row but managed just two out of seven power shots, while 25 out of 37 from Pereira connected successfully.

After entering the UFC in 2021, Pereira has rapidly evolved into one of the promotion's biggest stars, becoming a dual-weight titleholder in only seven fights - a historic achievement.

After capturing the 185-pound championship, Pereira moved up to light-heavyweight and, following his title win, his three defences in 2024 resulted in him being named the UFC fighter of the year together with another champion.

Pereira encountered his toughest challenge in fighting Ankalaev, with the Russian preventing the Brazilian from connecting with powerful shots in their initial encounter - but that was not a problem the in the rematch, with he connecting powerfully of his adversary's head early on.

Ankalaev had stopped the Brazilian's run of three successful defenses inside a year in the first encounter but the ex-titleholder now has a second defeat on his professional history - and his first in over seven years.

Currently tied at one victory each, a third encounter could decide who takes the bragging rights for good.

Pereira 'Aims to Compete at Heavyweight Division' - White

Although he recaptured the light-heavyweight title he lost in spring, the fighter has eyes on moving up another weight class to the heavyweight class, as stated by promotion president Dana White.

Prior to the second fight with his opponent, Pereira and his camp informed the president of his intention to make the move to the heavyweight division. White told the post-fight news conference: "They say he wants to compete in the heavyweight division but I said to focus on tonight initially. There are still fights here, but we'll see."

"He has been an exceptional athlete for us. He fights when not at 100%, it doesn't matter to him. He wants to fight all challengers and move up to heavyweight. There's a lot of things to talk about following this event."

Upon questioning what his reservations were on the fighter making the jump, White answered: "He started as a middleweight - to jump up two weight classes in the organization, it's not like jumping up two weight classes in the sweet science."

"I don't have reservations but he's in a division where there remain numerous opportunities."

'Machine' Dvalishvili Persists to Make Mark in History Books

In the co-main event, Georgia's Merab Dvalishvili earned a dominant unanimous decision over the USA's his opponent to retain his 135-pound championship.

This victory was the champion's 14th consecutive win - taking him up to third for most consecutive victories in UFC history. Just Islam Makhachev and Kamaru Usman, on fifteen, and Anderson Silva with 16 rank above.

The officials scored the fight with wide margins in favor of the titleholder.

"I am a machine. I keep getting better. My training is intense. It seems my journey is starting, I'm only getting started and I keep learning," said the champion post-fight.

Dvalishvili, 34 years old, spent the entirety of the bout on the offensive and consistently kept his opponent on the defensive.

Although Dvalishvili's confidence and impressive victory run, Sandhagen was not intimidated and connected with 23 of his 48 significant strikes in the opening round, but the momentum shifted two minutes into the second stanza when the champion connected powerfully with a series of blows.

Sandhagen survived the onslaught but continued to be dominated, with the champion setting a new UFC record for the highest number of takedowns in a five-round fight with twenty on the path to winning.