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Magomed Ankalaev took the UFC light-heavyweight title from Alex Pereira on Saturday, ending the fan favourite’s reign with a unanimous-decision win.
Ankalaev won 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 on the judges’ scorecards, as the Russian controlled Pereira in the grappling exchanges and even outstruck the kickboxing icon at UFC 313.
Ankalaev, 32, actually failed with all of his takedowns (more than 10), which will shock those familiar with the general wrestling abilities of Dagestani fighters. However, he held Pereira against the fence for spells of the main-event bout, while proving sharper than the Brazilian in the striking exchanges.
Pereira, an enigmatic knockout artist, just could not get going at the T-Mobile Arena, with Indy Sport scoring the fight comfortably in Ankalaev’s favour.
Ankalev’s victory marked the end of an impressive reign for Pereira, 37, who won the belt in late 2023 and recorded three successful title defences in 2024 – all by TKO.
In the co-main event of UFC 313, Justin Gaethje narrowly outpointed Rafael Fiziev for the second time, having also done so in March 2023.
Fiziev was stepping in on short notice, after Gaethje’s original opponent Dan Hooker withdrew due to a hand fracture. American Gaethje beat Azerbaijan’s Fiziev 29-28 on all three scorecards.
Full UFC 313 results
Magomed Ankalaev def. Alex Pereira via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
Justin Gaethje def. Rafael Fiziev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ignacio Bahamondes def. Jalin Turner via first-round submission (triangle choke, 2:29)
Amanda Lemos def. Iasmin Lucindo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mauricio Ruffy def. King Green via first-round KO (wheel kick, 2:07)
Joshua Van def. Rei Tsuruya via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brunno Ferreira def. Armen Petrosyan via second-round submission (armbar, 4:27)
Carlos Leal def. Alex Morono via first-round TKO (punches, 4:16)
Mairon Santos def. Francis Marshall via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Ozzy Diaz def. Djorden Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)