Alex Pereira was disappointed after losing the UFC 313 main event to Magomed Ankalaev, who won the light heavyweight title through effective pressure and control, but Pereira is determined to make adjustments for a likely rematch.
Alex Pereira was understandably bummed out after his latest fight. He lost the light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Five rounds, and it just didn’t go his way.
Pereira’s known for thrilling fights and knockout power. But against Ankalaev? Not much happened offensively. Sure, he landed some nasty calf kicks early on. Then, a late burst in the final round. But the night’s hardest punch? That came from Ankalaev—a stunning left hook in the second round that shook Pereira just before the bell.
Ankalaev’s constant pressure seemed to stifle Pereira. Pushing him against the cage for minutes during those championship rounds didn’t help either. “I knew it would be a war,” Pereira admitted post-fight. “Every fight of mine is a war.”
He acknowledged Ankalaev’s pressure, especially in the second round. “He put me up against the cage, but he didn’t really do anything,” Pereira said. Their strategy was clear: Ankalaev likes to trap opponents against the fence.
Losing like this—controlled but not damaged—was tough for Pereira to accept. Ankalaev’s style worked well enough to win him the title. Might others adopt this approach? It’s possible, even if it’s not action-packed.
“Giving him the win with a game plan like that kind of incentivizes people,” Pereira noted. “People might call it boring, but it gets results.” He felt he hurt Ankalaev against the fence, yet found himself pinned there instead.
In the end, judges scored it 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 for Ankalaev. A unanimous decision crowned him champion. Not what Pereira wanted, but there’s hope for redemption.
UFC CEO Dana White hinted at an immediate rematch being likely. While Pereira didn’t demand another shot right away in his interview, his social media told a different story.
“Gonna make some adjustments for the rematch,” he promised in a video posted Sunday. “I’ll be back much better; you can count on it.” Never give up on dreams, right? Chama!