Ankalaev stymies Pereira, wins UFC light heavyweight title

Magomed Ankalaev has finally broken through as the best fighter at 205 pounds.

Ankalaev defeated Alex Pereira via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) to capture the UFC light heavyweight title in the UFC 313 main event Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

"I can't even put it into words. It's been such a long wait," Ankalaev said through an interpreter in his postfight interview. "And here's my dream - it's on my waist."

The 32-year-old Dagestani is now riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak, the third-longest among active UFC fighters.

Ankalaev applied an intelligent game plan against Pereira, shutting down his offense throughout the fight with pressure, a varied attack on the feet, and clinch work. Pereira stopped all 12 of Ankalaev's takedown attempts, but Ankalaev kept "Poatan" on the back foot and ultimately stayed busier in the stand-up department. Ankalaev had a 94-76 edge in significant strikes.

"The plan was to pressure, pressure, pressure," Ankalaev said. "Everybody who fights against him always counters, but my job was to make sure that my work was No. 1. Everybody who fights against me becomes the counterstriker. My plan worked."

Pereira brushed off the effectiveness of Ankalaev's offense but admitted it was enough for him to win.

"He put some pressure (on me) in the second round," Pereira said through an interpreter. "I felt some of his strikes. But putting me up against the cage, he didn't really do anything."

All three judges scored the first round for Pereira, but they awarded Ankalaev the next three, giving the latter a stranglehold on the fight. Judges Mike Bell and Derek Cleary scored the fifth for Pereira, while judge Sal D'Amato had the fifth in Ankalaev's favor.

Pereira controlled the first round with calf kicks, one of his most-used weapons. But Ankalaev responded well in the second, landing a sharp front kick to the body and several punches to the head. Ankalaev rocked Pereira with a huge left hand at the end of the round to seize the momentum.

Ankalaev began to pressure and chip away at Pereira in the third. He landed body kicks and a sharp jab and had Pereira on his heels for much of the round. Pereira connected with a solid combination.

Ankalaev clinched Pereira immediately in the fourth round. Pereira's takedown defense held up, but Ankalaev managed to keep him against the fence for several minutes and turned the fight into a grueling affair.

There was a glimmer of hope for Pereira in the fifth round as he caught Ankalaev with a high kick. Pereira went after him momentarily, but Ankalaev never seemed to be in real danger. Pereira landed a couple of heavy jabs and another head kick, and although he was the more effective striker in the fifth, he was still too hesitant. Ankalaev pushed Pereira up against the fence with a minute and a half left, sealing the victory.

Ankalaev is the third Dagestani fighter to win a UFC title, joining Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ankalaev, who hasn't lost since his UFC debut in 2018, trails only heavyweight champion Jon Jones (20) and lightweight champ Makhachev (15) among the longest active unbeaten streaks in the promotion.

Pereira suffered his first loss at light heavyweight, falling to 5-1. The 37-year-old Brazilian had defended the title three times - with knockouts of Jamahal Hill, Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. - since becoming champion in November 2023.

Pereira is also a former UFC middleweight champ; he held that title from 2022-23. Pereira now holds a 9-2 record in the Octagon and is 12-3 in pro MMA.