You look at UFC 320 on paper and it already feels special. Alex Pereira’s rematch with Magomed Ankalaev? Huge. Merab Dvalishvili defending his bantamweight crown again? Big-time. But let’s be honest—sometimes the fight that steals the show isn’t the one plastered all over the posters. Sometimes, it’s the one tucked just underneath.

And that’s exactly the vibe surrounding Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Jiri Prochazka. Two absolute madmen at 205, both fresh off statement wins over Jamahal Hill, both known for turning every fight into chaos. Their coaches are already calling it violent. Fans are calling it a dark horse Fight of the Year contender. And I’ll tell you what—there’s a very real chance this ends up being the fight we’re all still talking about when UFC 320 is in the books.

Khalil Rountree’s coach is expecting a violent fight against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 320   

In an interview with James Lynch of Middle Easy, Syndicate MMA coach said, “One, he’s healthy for this camp, which last one was not the case at all. Two, this is just gonna be a violent fight. This is going to be an extremely violent fight. And I’ve said it before, as a fan, I wish, I could’ve just sat back and drank some beer and watch it. But, I’ll watch it on replay after. But, I don’t expect that fight to go three rounds.”  

After John Wood finished his statement, Lynch quickly agreed and added, “No… it’s very, very… potential fight of the year right there.” And honestly, that makes total sense that Khalil vs Jiri might end up becoming the fight of the year. At first glance, Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev might look like the bigger banger. But it’s also true that their last fight underperformed in terms of hype. ‘Poatan’ was gun-shy, and the Dagestani leaned on clinching a little too much, which drained the energy from the fight.

 It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the UFC 320 headliner rematch could follow a similar path. The co-main event is intriguing, but fans aren’t necessarily expecting fireworks. Merab Dvalishvili has impressed with his relentless grappling, and he’ll likely rely on it again against Cory Sandhagen to defend his belt one more time. That makes Khalil Rountree vs. Jiri Prochazka stand out as the fight to watch.

Whether it actually becomes the fight of the year remains to be seen. UFC 317, for instance, featured Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van, which ended up being a show fans won’t forget for years. Still, Wood gave his seal of approval because, according to him, ‘The War Horse’ had the best camp heading into his fight against ‘BJP.’ 

John Wood reveals Khalil Rountree having an amazing camp 

Khalil Rountree suffered a torn meniscus leading up to his fight with Jamahal Hill at the UFC Baku main event. The light heavyweight star was also unwell during fight week. Still, ‘The War Horse’ outclassed Hill in the main event, winning via a clear unanimous decision. However, many wondered if lingering symptoms from that fight were still an issue.

But Rountree’s coach, John Wood, has put all those doubts to rest. The Syndicate MMA coach revealed, “He’s 100% locked in, and doing the things that he really needs to do. Not only as a mixed martial artist, not just as a stand-up guy and doing this and focusing that. He has opened his mind to exploring and really just getting better as an overall MMA guy.”

And that’s not all. Wood added, “It’s the best I’ve seen him do in 13 years or whatever, plus I’ve been with him. He has really turned that corner, has a different mindset and approach to all this, and he’s just kind of leveling up.” It’s impressive to see Khalil making solid improvements in his game ahead of his fight with Jiri Prochazka, who has beaten nearly everyone in his path. Except, of course, former champ Alex Pereira. 

With that said, do you think the UFC 320 fight between Khalil Rountree and Jiri Prochazka could actually become the fight of the year? Or will one of the other headliners end up being more entertaining? Let us know in the comments below.