Magomed Ankalaev secured a unanimous decision victory over Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 313, claiming the light heavyweight title. Questions arose after the fight regarding the judges’ scorecards.
However, according to UFC CEO Dana White, the fight was not particularly exciting, but he does not consider the judges’ decision to be controversial. White noted that Ankalaev was close to a knockdown in the second round, constantly pressured Pereira, and used the clinch to control him against the cage, which led to his victory.
“It wasn’t what I expected,” White said about the fight at the UFC 313 post-fight press conference. “I expected more striking exchanges and more takedown attempts.”
“I thought Ankalaev won the fight. I wasn’t surprised when I heard the decision.”
Despite being confident in Ankalaev’s deserving victory, White also acknowledged that Pereira was a great champion and a rematch is highly probable.
“Probably [an immediate rematch],” White said.
Leading up to the event, Pereira faced numerous questions about his activities outside the octagon, including traveling to Australia to support Sean Strickland at UFC 312 and attending promotional events.
UFC veterans Daniel Cormier and Matt Brown expressed concerns about Pereira’s schedule and potential distractions before a significant fight against Ankalaev.
White is unsure if Pereira was distracted during his recent title defense but mentioned that history shows it’s challenging for superstars to maintain the same discipline after reaching the top.
“I think that’s definitely a question for him to answer,” White said about Pereira. “I certainly don’t know his schedule. I know he’s been traveling, but we see this often when someone becomes a big star and starts earning significant money. Many doors and opportunities open up.”
“But there’s no doubt everyone knew Ankalaev would be a tough opponent for him. Everyone knew this was likely the biggest challenge of his career.”
Regardless of Pereira’s focus, White emphasized Ankalaev’s performance, highlighting his winning strategy against “Poatan.”
While not a thrilling or memorable fight, Ankalaev took the fight to Pereira and ultimately secured a unanimous decision victory after five rounds.
“I wouldn’t take anything away from Ankalaev and the pressure he applied to Alex tonight,” White said. “He kept pushing forward, even in the fifth round, I heard in Alex’s corner saying ‘you’ve got to go after him this round. You have to let everything go. You’ve got to unleash your hands. You’ve got to try to finish him.’”
