An entertaining card at UFC 313 concluded with a hyper-competitive bout for the light heavyweight championship as Magomed Ankalaev defeated Alex Pereira by unanimous decision to steal the belt in Las Vegas.
While UFC observers have grown accustomed to watching Pereira’s dominance, Saturday night was a divergence from that script. He opened the main event with calculated patience and methodical calf kicks but he simply was not able to overcome Ankalaev’s composure. Even when Pereira landed significant strikes, Ankalaev recovered quickly and became the aggressor, forcing the now-former champion to retreat on several occasions. In the final round, Pereira stunned Ankalaev with a head kick but was unable to capitalize on the momentum he created, falling just short of what would have been his fourth-straight title defense.
Following this monumental victory, Ankalaev has still not lost a fight since March of 2018 and now has a career record of 21-1-1 (1 NC).
Main card results
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Page 2
An entertaining card at UFC 313 concluded with a hyper-competitive bout for the light heavyweight championship as Magomed Ankalaev defeated Alex Pereira by unanimous decision to steal the belt in Las Vegas.
While UFC observers have grown accustomed to watching Pereira’s dominance, Saturday night was a divergence from that script. He opened the main event with calculated patience and methodical calf kicks but he simply was not able to overcome Ankalaev’s composure. Even when Pereira landed significant strikes, Ankalaev recovered quickly and became the aggressor, forcing the now-former champion to retreat on several occasions. In the final round, Pereira stunned Ankalaev with a head kick but was unable to capitalize on the momentum he created, falling just short of what would have been his fourth-straight title defense.
Following this monumental victory, Ankalaev has still not lost a fight since March of 2018 and now has a career record of 21-1-1 (1 NC).
Main card results
Subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.
Page 3
An entertaining card at UFC 313 concluded with a hyper-competitive bout for the light heavyweight championship as Magomed Ankalaev defeated Alex Pereira by unanimous decision to steal the belt in Las Vegas.
While UFC observers have grown accustomed to watching Pereira’s dominance, Saturday night was a divergence from that script. He opened the main event with calculated patience and methodical calf kicks but he simply was not able to overcome Ankalaev’s composure. Even when Pereira landed significant strikes, Ankalaev recovered quickly and became the aggressor, forcing the now-former champion to retreat on several occasions. In the final round, Pereira stunned Ankalaev with a head kick but was unable to capitalize on the momentum he created, falling just short of what would have been his fourth-straight title defense.
Following this monumental victory, Ankalaev has still not lost a fight since March of 2018 and now has a career record of 21-1-1 (1 NC).
Main card results
Subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.
Page 4
An entertaining card at UFC 313 concluded with a hyper-competitive bout for the light heavyweight championship as Magomed Ankalaev defeated Alex Pereira by unanimous decision to steal the belt in Las Vegas.
While UFC observers have grown accustomed to watching Pereira’s dominance, Saturday night was a divergence from that script. He opened the main event with calculated patience and methodical calf kicks but he simply was not able to overcome Ankalaev’s composure. Even when Pereira landed significant strikes, Ankalaev recovered quickly and became the aggressor, forcing the now-former champion to retreat on several occasions. In the final round, Pereira stunned Ankalaev with a head kick but was unable to capitalize on the momentum he created, falling just short of what would have been his fourth-straight title defense.
Following this monumental victory, Ankalaev has still not lost a fight since March of 2018 and now has a career record of 21-1-1 (1 NC).
Main card results
Subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.
