Magomed Ankalaev achieved his long-awaited dream of becoming champion by defeating Alex Pereira, a major star in the sport. Ankalaev won by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 313.
Ankalaev’s victory was due to his effective strategy. He consistently pressured Pereira, attacking with well-timed strikes and then controlling him against the cage to secure the win. Ankalaev landed the most significant punch of the fight in the second round, a powerful left hook that stunned Pereira, putting the Brazilian on the defensive for much of the rest of the fight.
The judges scored the fight 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47, all in favor of Ankalaev, making him the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
“I can’t express how I feel,” Ankalaev said after his victory. “It has been a very long journey, and now my dream has come true. It’s right here with me. Nothing about the fight really surprised me. I believe I could have performed even better, but things didn’t quite go as planned. Regardless, I am very happy with the win.”
Pereira, though disappointed, quickly understood why the judges likely favored Ankalaev’s extended grappling against the cage.
“I expected a tough fight. Every fight I have is a battle,” Pereira commented. “He applied pressure in the second round, and I felt some of his strikes. However, when he held me against the cage, he wasn’t really effective. We followed our game plan.”
“We know his strategy is to push opponents against the fence and use that tactic. Awarding a win for that kind of game plan might encourage others to fight like that. Some might call it boring, but when it leads to a win, people might be tempted to imitate it. I actually hurt him while against the fence; the only difference was I was the one against it.”
Ultimately, Ankalaev’s success came from recognizing and implementing the best strategy to neutralize Pereira’s striking, which proved effective over the 25-minute fight.
“The plan was constant pressure,” Ankalaev explained. “Usually, opponents counter-strike against him, but my goal was to be the aggressor, forcing my opponent to counter me. My plan worked.”
Early in the fight, Pereira immediately began attacking Ankalaev with calf kicks to set the pace. This initially impacted Ankalaev’s movement, but he adjusted and responded with his own combinations.
Towards the end of the first round, Ankalaev attempted a takedown, which Pereira defended. Ankalaev returned to his corner having already taken significant damage to his lead leg from Pereira’s kicks.
Despite limping slightly on his lead leg, Ankalaev used his own kicks, landing several solid shots to Pereira’s midsection. Pereira appeared ready to strike, but Ankalaev showed no hesitation, attacking with a powerful overhand left that hit the champion’s chin.
This forced Pereira to become more active, but it backfired when Ankalaev landed a huge left hook that stunned the Brazilian, causing him to stumble. Ankalaev followed up, but the round ended before he could capitalize further.
Ankalaev’s aggression and accuracy limited Pereira’s usual offensive output, although Pereira remained dangerous with his power punches. Still, Ankalaev continued to press forward, stunning Pereira again with a straight right hand.
As the fight progressed into the later rounds, Ankalaev began to grapple, a first for him in the fight. Pereira defended well against the cage, preventing takedowns, but Ankalaev maintained pressure, forcing Pereira to expend energy defending his position.
While not the most exciting approach, Ankalaev’s grappling started to wear down Pereira, while he continued to land punches and knees to the body.
In the final five minutes, Ankalaev started with a strong right hook that Pereira absorbed. In response, Pereira moved forward for the first time in a while and threw a high head kick that caught Ankalaev’s attention.
Ankalaev quickly countered with a right hand, but Pereira’s striking accuracy began to cause issues. Pereira landed a couple of jabs before Ankalaev clinched, attempting to take Pereira’s back as they fought for position against the cage.
Although he couldn’t secure a takedown, Ankalaev landed several hard knees to Pereira’s legs as time ran out, ending the fight.
The judges’ scorecards were potentially varied given the close rounds, but ultimately there was no controversy, with Ankalaev winning by unanimous decision. He now celebrates as champion, while Pereira will likely consider a plan for an immediate rematch.
“I’m going to keep training,” Pereira said when asked about his future plans. “I feel fine, not really hurt. I’ll take a few days off and get back to training. This is my life.”
