Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) had to take the hardest of hard roads to get his chance at gold. Similar to fellow champs Belal Muhammad and Merab Dvalishvili, the long path consisting of a double digit unbeaten streak is what it took for Ankalaev to get his opportunity to challenge Pereira, and he got the job done by unanimous decision.

Alex Pereira didn’t get knocked out by Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, but there was a funeral feel to the end result. Rock stars are meant to go out with a bang, aren’t they?

Alex Pereira will seemingly pursue a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev after losing the light-heavyweight title at UFC 313, despite rumours of a move to heavyweight. Pereira suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Ankalaev in Saturday’s main event in Las Vegas, ending a fine run as champion in which he scored three title defences by TKO in 2024.