Pereira dethrones Ankalaev with a 1st-round stoppage at UFC 320

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Fan favorite Alex Pereira dethroned Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, taking the light heavyweight championship with a first-round stoppage Saturday night.

Pereira (13-3-0) floored Ankalaev (21-2-1) after hurting him with a huge right hand and quickly went to work using thunderous elbows during a ground-and-pound before referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the bout at the 1:20 mark.

Pereira brought an end to Ankalaev’s 14-match unbeaten streak, while exacting revenge for a loss in the fighters’ first meeting in March.

“I wasn’t well that night, but tonight I was very well,” Pereira said through his translator.

Pereira lost to Ankalaev by unanimous decision on March 8, when the judges graded the fight on aggressiveness. This time, Pereira wasted no time in attacking Ankalaev with relentless pressure.

The 38-year-old Brazilian landed 28 of the 45 significant strike attempts, while Ankalaev, 33, was only able to land four of his nine attempts.

Pereira closed +200 at BetMGM Sportsbook, which means a $100 wager would have won $200. A Pereira by KO or TKO in under 2.5 rounds was +475.

While Pereira entered the arena with the sold-out crowd standing and roaring in approval, Ankalaev was greeted by a chorus of boos.

The 19,081 in attendance, which included Golden State Warriors stars Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, went into a frenzy the moment Dean stepped in to stop the fight.

Earlier in the night, in what some might have considered a title eliminator bout in the light heavyweight division for the right to face Pereira, second-ranked contender Jiri Prochazka (32-5-1) delivered a brutal left hand at the 3:04 mark of the third round to knock out No. 4 Khalil Rountree Jr. (15-7-0) in what earned the fight of the night.

Pereira had beaten Prochazka twice already, second-round knockouts at UFC 295 and 303.

After his victory, Pereira used his spotlight during the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan to call for a moment of silence in honor of Jon Jones’ older brother, Arthur, who died unexpectedly earlier this week.

“He was such a great guy,” UFC president Dana White said. “When somebody passes away so young in their sleep, it’s brutal. The conversations I’ve had with Jon, he’s handling it well.”

In the co-main event, champion Merab Dvalishvili (21-4-0) successfully defended his bantamweight title with a unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-46) over Cory Sandhagen (18-6-0). Dvalishvili, who strengthened his argument a Fighter of the Year contender, registered a UFC record for takedowns landed (20) with 37 attempts. His victory extended the division’s longest-ever win streak at 14 fights.

In their scheduled three-round featherweight bout, the stunned crowd watched No. 9 contender Youssef Zalal (18-5-1) top No. 8 Josh Emmett (19-6-0) by way of verbal submission at 1:38 of the first round with a wicked arm bar.

In the scheduled three-round middleweight bout, Joe Pyfer (15-3) came out aggressive in the second rout with two quick punches to drop Abus Magomedov (28-7-1), and then dominated on the ground until winning by submission via rear naked choke at the 1:44 mark.

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UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, of Georgia, celebrates after defeating Cory James Sandhagen, of the United States, during UFC 320 Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Jiri Prochazka, top left, of Czechia, knocks out Khalil Rountree Jr., bottom, of the United States, in a light heavyweight bout during UFC 320, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Alex Pereira, right, of Brazil, hits UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev, of Russia, as the referee looks on during the UFC 320 mixed martial arts bout Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Alex Pereira, of Brazil, leaves the Octagon after defeating UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev, of Russia, during UFC 320 Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Alex Pereira, of Brazil, celebrates after defeating UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev, of Russia during the UFC 320 mixed martial arts bout Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.'s humanitarian aid coordination office is downsizing its appeal for annual funding in 2026 after support this year, mostly from Western governments, plunged to the lowest level in a decade.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Monday it was seeking $33 billion to help some 135 million people cope with fallout from wars, climate disasters, earthquakes, epidemics and food shortages. This year, it took in $15 billion, the lowest level in a decade.

The office says next year it wants more than $4.1 billion to reach 3 million people in Palestinian areas, another $2.9 billion for Sudan — home to the world's largest displacement crisis — and $2.8 billion for a regional plan around Syria.

“In 2025, hunger surged. Food budgets were slashed — even as famines hit parts of Sudan and Gaza. Health systems broke apart," said OCHA chief Tom Fletcher. "Disease outbreaks spiked. Millions went without essential food, healthcare and protection. Programs to protect women and girls were slashed, hundreds of aid organizations shut."

The U.N. aid coordinator sought $47 billion for this year and aimed to help 190 million people worldwide. Because of the lower support, it and humanitarian partners reached 25 million fewer people this year than in 2024.

“I know budgets are tight right now. Families everywhere are under strain," Fletcher said. “But the world spent $2.7 trillion on defense last year – on guns and arms. And I’m asking for just over 1% of that.”

He has called for “radical transformation” of aid by reducing bureaucracy, boosting efficiency and giving more power to local groups. Fletcher cited “very practical, constructive conversations” almost daily with the Trump administration.

“Do I want to shame the world into responding? Absolutely," Fletcher said. "But I also want to channel this sense of determination and anger that we have as humanitarians, that we will carry on delivering with what we get.”

FILE - A convoy of vehicles loaded with food and other aid is en route to Sweida on the international highway in rural Daraa province, Syria, July 20, 2025, heading to the city of Busra al-Sham. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki, File)

FILE - Palestinians grab sacks of flour from a moving truck carrying World Food Programme aid as it drives through Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)

FILE - People carry sacks and boxes of food and humanitarian aid that was unloaded from a World Food Program convoy that had been heading to Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

FILE - Women displaced from El-Fasher stand in line to receive food aid at the newly established El-Afadh camp in Al Dabbah, in Sudan's Northern State, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali, File)