And the New….. Magomed Ankalaev
Tonight, on March 8, 2025, the Ultimate Fighting Championship made its grand return with UFC 313, hosted at the lively T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The much-anticipated event was headlined by a thrilling light-heavyweight title clash between reigning champ Alex Pereira (12-3) and the top contender, former title challenger Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1).
Alex Pereira, who took the UFC middleweight championship in 2022 by defeating Israel Adesanya via TKO, unfortunately lost the belt in a knockout during their rematch six months later. Undeterred, Pereira moved up to the 205-pound category, where he triumphed over former champion Jan Blachowicz by split decision in his divisional debut. This victory led him to seize the light-heavyweight title by overcoming another former champ, Jiri Prochazka, with a TKO. Since then, Pereira has successfully fended off three challengers, stopping former champion Jamahal Hill with a knockout, securing another KO win over Prochazka in their rematch, and taking out Khalil Rountree Jr via TKO in October.
Magomed Ankalaev, on the flip side, has long been viewed by many as the uncrowned king of the light-heavyweight division. He headed into his first title shot against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282 on a nine-fight winning streak. Despite a draw in that encounter and a no-contest against Johnny Walker due to an illegal knee, Ankalaev rebounded emphatically. He avenged his result against Walker with a KO win in their rematch and then went on to defeat top-five contender Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308.
For those eager to know how this electrifying championship showdown unfolded, here’s the scoop:
Official Result: Magomed Ankalaev bested Alex Pereira by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47).
Pereira kicked off the fight by frustrating Ankalaev with a barrage of leg kicks, landing 15 successful strikes within the first round. The last kick was particularly telling, wobbling Ankalaev and triggering a futile takedown attempt. In response, Ankalaev dished out some leg kicks of his own, landing six, though his punches fell short of the mark.
In round two, Ankalaev found his rhythm. He started connecting with leg kicks, round kicks, and some sharp body snap kicks. He also dialed in his striking, stringing together impressive combinations and damaging Pereira with a powerful left hand toward the end of the round.
The third round swung the momentum back in Pereira’s favor, though it proved to be the most challenging to score. Ankalaev tried to press forward and keep up the pressure, but Pereira countered effectively with leg kicks and precise punches.
As the fourth round began, Ankalaev sought a takedown, pressing Pereira against the cage for the opening three minutes. Despite his efforts, the referee stepped in to reset the action. Ankalaev quickly shot for another takedown, managing to rack up control time, though Pereira executed a stunning foot sweep just as the round concluded, leaving no time to capitalize.
The final round saw early inactivity, with Pereira pushing Ankalaev back, landing a slick leg kick followed by a head kick that had Ankalaev retreating. Pereira maintained his range advantage, landing a few stiff jabs before finding himself clinched by Ankalaev along the fence in the bout’s closing 90 seconds.
Pereira displayed remarkable composure and takedown defense skills, successfully resisting every offensive wrestling maneuver from Ankalaev, despite the latter being arguably his toughest wrestling opponent to date. Nevertheless, Ankalaev managed to keep Pereira more cautious than usual in the octagon.
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A Bit About the Author:
I fell in love with combat sports at the age of 12. One evening while channel surfing, I came across the WEC on Versus. It was Urijah Faber’s second clash with Jens Pulver. Hooked from the first match I watched, I started covering the sport professionally in late 2018. I also have a passion for writing about animals, so if that piques your interest, swing by learnaboutnature.com to check out my other articles.
