The “Poatan” era at light heavyweight is over.
Magomed Ankalaev brought an end to Alex Pereira’s reign as UFC Light Heavyweight Champion on Saturday night, going the distance to secure a unanimous decision win after five rounds.
A well-rounded gameplan from Ankalaev—mixing in grappling exchanges with his striking—allowed him to take the scorecard nod in the main event of UFC 313 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
A three-round stretch in the fight saw Ankalaev earn all the rounds he needed to walk away with a victory via decision. While he dropped the opening frame to Pereira, who chewed up the challenger’s legs with kicks, Ankalaev went on a 15-minute run beginning in the second round which did enough to make him champ.
The second frame of the fight saw Ankalaev perform at his best, backing up the kickboxer with hard left hands. The punches connected clean against Pereira, and at one point late in the round, even wobbled the champ.
After an impressive showing from Ankalaev came the closest round of the fight, and one that will likely become the most debated part of the contest. While Ankalaev continued to land—albeit not with the dominance he presented in the second round—Pereira responded with a decent number of his own shots, including 15 more kicks to the legs of Ankalaev.
The round ended up being scored unanimously for Ankalaev, putting him just five minutes away from pulling far ahead in the fight.
The fourth round saw Ankalaev bring his grappling skills into the fight, forcing Pereira to defend numerous takedowns and pushing the bout to the fence. The Russian talent kept Pereira against the cage for nearly four minutes in the round, allowing him to chip away with his own shots and stop the champ from creating much-needed moments of his own.
The fifth frame was competitive, but without a finish from Pereira, it meant next to nothing for the fight’s official result. With scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46, Ankalaev had secured his first-ever run as a UFC champion.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Ankalaev said through an interpreter in his post-fight interview. “It’s been such a long way. And here’s my dream, it’s on my waist.”
Saturday was a case of patience paying off for a long-time contender. Ankalaev has gone undefeated since late 2018, attaining nearly a dozen victories en route to his win this weekend. He was previously given a shot at the then-vacant belt in 2022 but notoriously missed out on becoming champ after a controversial split draw decision.
Ankalaev is now the first-ever Russian fighter above the lightweight division to hold a UFC Championship.
Pereira accepted his tight scorecard loss on Saturday and refused to give up on his MMA career.
“I’m going to keep training … I’m going to take a few days off, then I’m going to keep training,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “This is my life.”
Pereira was returning after a hectic first year as light heavyweight champion, defending his title three times in 2024. After a run that saw him as the most successful light heavyweight champ since Jon Jones departed the division in 2020, Pereira is now back to the drawing board and chasing his third UFC title reign.
Here are the quick results from UFC’s latest pay-per-view card:
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (PPV)
Bout 10: Magomed Ankalaev def. Alex Pereira via Decision, Unanimous (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 9: Justin Gaethje def. Rafael Fiziev via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Ignacio Bahamondes def. Jalin Turner via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 1, 2:29)
Bout 7: Amanda Lemos def. Iasmin Lucindo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Mauricio Ruffy def. King Green via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:07)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EST / 5:00PM PST) (ESPNews / ESPN+)
Bout 5: Joshua Van def. Rei Tsuruya via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Brunno Ferreira def. Armen Petrosyan via Submission, Armbar (RD 2, 4:27)
Bout 3: Carlos Leal def. Alex Morono via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:16)
Bout 2: Mairon Santos def. Francis Marshall via Decision, Split
Early Prelims (6:30PM EST / 3:30PM PST) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 1: Ozzy Diaz def. Djorden Santos via Decision, Unanimous
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