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.
Magomed Ankalaev scored a stunning upset with a unanimous decision to take Alex Pereira’s undisputed light heavyweight belt at UFC313.
Justin Gaethje achieved a unanimous win against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313, marking his comeback after a TKO defeat to Max Holloway. Fiziev replaced Dan Hooker due to injury, providing tough competition despite a lower rank.