Magomed Ankalaev defeats Alex Pereira in tight decision win at UFC 313 to derail future Jon Jones fight
Magomed Ankalaev stole a tight decision win to dethrone Alex Pereira at UFC 313.
Ankalaev is now the new UFC light heavyweight champion and it is his first belt in Dana White's promotion.
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Pereira, 37, had started well, landing some damaging trademark calf kicks to Ankalaev in the opening sequence.
However, the Brazilian started to lose control during the middle of the fight as Ankalaev asserted his dominance in the clinch.
Although Pereira was able to stop the Russian, stuffing all 12 of his takedowns during the fight, Ankalaev landed more significant strikes and did enough in the eyes of the judges to steal the victory.
One judge awarded the fight 49-46 to Ankalaev, while the other two scored the contest 48-47 in favour of the Russian.
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Pereira had previously asserted his desire to move up a division and fight Jon Jones for the heavyweight title, but he may favour a rematch now.
The now ex-UFC light heavyweight champion was asked by Joe Rogan about his thoughts on a rematch immediately after the fight.
"I'm going to keep training. I feel good, I don't think I'm hurt or anything in anyway," Pereira responded.
"I'm going to take a few days off and get back to training. This is my life."
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The Brazilian reiterated that he knew Ankalaev was a tough opponent, but didn't feel the Russian was successful enough to win his belt.
"I knew it would be a war, every fight of mine is a war," Pereira added.
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"He put some pressure in the second round, I felt some of his strikes, but putting me up against the cage he didn't really do anything.
"We followed our strategy. We know that he puts people against the fence and he plays that game.
"But giving him the win with a game plan like that it incentives people to do that against others.
"I hurt him against the fence, the only difference is I was the one against the fence."
The bout marked Pereira's first defeat in the 205lbs division since he moved up as a former middleweight champion in July 2023.
Ankalaev’s 10-fight winning streak at light heavyweight is just second to Jones, who went 13 undefeated, for the most in divisional history.
UFC 313 results
A new champion
Magomed Ankalaev (c) defeats Alex Pereira by unanimous decision
Justin Gaethje defeats Rafael Fiziev by unanimous decision
Ignacio Bahamondes defeats Jalin Turned by first-round submission
Amanda Lemos defeats Iasmin Lucindo by unanimous decision
Mauricio Ruffy defeats King Green by first-round knockout
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Pereira’s eyes were locked on Ankalaev as Bruce Buffer screamed ‘the one, the only’ and the lights dimmed inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
It was the just the third time the iconic UFC announcer had called a fighter that after doing the same for MMA legends Conor McGregor and Jones.
Pereira came out early landing his typical calf kicks, but maintained a cautious approach to avoid any takedown attempts from his Russian opponent.
The champion then displayed the arsenal of kicks at his disposal before Ankalaev started to find his feet and get after the Brazilian.
UFC fans were eager to find out how Pereira would fare against his opponent’s wrestling, and the champion defended the first one thrown at him.
Ankalaev started on the front foot in round two and it was definitely a sign of things to come.
Knockout! MMA stars predict Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313
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A front kick forced 'Poatan' back to the cage and both men started to display redness from one another’s devastating leg kicks.
In the final minute of the second round, Ankalaev caught Pereira with a massive left hand in what was the most significant moment of the bout so far.
The 32-year-old had previously stumbled Pereira slightly, but definitely hurt him and went into the third with a strong finish.
Ankalaev then started to gather momentum as UFC fans witnessed Pereira retreating for the first time in his title reign.
The champion was able to stuff another takedown from Ankalaev, however, likely chipping away at the confidence of the challenger.
Ankalaev responded well to a right hand combination from Pereira and stumbled 'Poatan' with a jab as we entered the championship rounds.
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In the fourth, Ankalaev went for an immediate early takedown and had Pereira backed up to the cage.
The Brazilian defended well to prevent himself dragged to the canvas and eventually got free, but Ankalaev went straight back after the champion to initiate the clinic once again.
Pereira was backed up to the cage, but defended well to stop the Russian from taking him to the ground.
The Brazilian eventually got free, but Ankalaev was straight back on his opponent and the Las Vegas fans didn’t appreciate his attempt to wrestle again.
With Ankalaev controlling the round, referee Marc Goddard told both fighters to move it on before separating the pair.
Pereira looked very tired coming out of the clinch and Ankalaev took advantage of his opponent’s exhaustion by dragging ‘Poatan’ to the cage again.
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In the fifth and final round, Pereira started by putting on some much needed pressure as he sought a huge knockout with a head kick that narrowly missed.
The 37-year-old continued to display elite takedown defence, which he had clearly worked on a lot, to prevent Ankalaev from being successful with any of his attempts.
In total, Ankalaev completed none of his 12 takedowns throughout the 25-minute bout, but his volume of strikes and general control would have swayed the judges scorecards.
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Although Pereira was left unsurprisingly upset following the decision, UFC President White agreed with the judges.
He also confirmed in his post-fight press conference that a rematch of the closely-contested bout is ‘probably’ the most likely outcome.
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