Magomed Ankalaev Dethrones Alex Pereira to Capture Light Heavyweight Title – UFC 313 Highlights
Magomed Ankalaev is the new light heavyweight champion following Saturday’s highly anticipated UFC 313 headliner in Las Vegas.
It was a closely contested battle between Chama and the challenger through five back-and-forth rounds. ‘Poatan’ started strong, landing a bevy of brutal calf kicks on Ankalaev, but the Dagestani would turn up the heat in round two, connecting with a big right hand that had the Brazilian boogeyman on wobbly legs just before the bell.
Pereira bounced back in the third round, but everything changed in the fourth as Ankalaev deployed his clinch game, pressing Pereira up against the fence. Though Ankalaev offered little in the way of offense during the exchanges, the control time was enough to sway the scorecards in his favor.
With the fight potentially tied up, Pereira came out looking to put Ankalaev on his back foot. For the most part, he succeeded, landing a stiff head kick followed by a jab that popped the challenger’s head back. That prompted Ankalaev to shoot in one final time and hold Pereira up against the fence for the final 80 seconds of the round.
With 25 minutes in the books, we went to the scorecards where everyone inside T-Mobile Arena was waiting with bated breath to find out if it was #AndNew or #AndStill.
Official Result: Magomed Ankalaev def. Alex Pereira via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
With the win, Ankalaev extends his unbeaten streak to 14 straight and, more importantly, becomes a UFC champion for the first time in his career.
