This past Saturday in the main event of UFC 313, the light heavyweight title was on the line. Alex Pereira (12-3) was looking for his fourth successful title defense in less than 12 months as he took on the number one contender Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1, 1 NC).
The first round started well for the champion who was able to land some big leg kicks and he just seemed more comfortable in the standup. However, Ankalaev came on really strong in the second round. The challenger used a ton of forward pressure to close the distance and Pereira was having a tough time getting comfortable.
Ankalaev really rocked Pereira badly at the end of the second. The third round was really close and it was ultimately the deciding round. I thought Pereira landed the better shots throughout, but many thought Ankalaev had the bigger moments. The fourth round was clearly Ankalaev’s round and the fifth was a Pereira round in the eyes of most.
It was a very close fight but in the end, the all three judges gave the fight and the win to the new UFC light heavyweight champion, Magomed Ankalaev.
What’s next after UFC 313?
If I was to venture a guess, I would say that we won’t see Ankalaev until the late summer or early fall. October’s annual Abu Dhabi card could be an option for his first title defense. The big question is, who will his first title defense be against?
I think it’s clearly going to be Alex Pereira. Dana White said in the UFC 313 post-fight press conference that Pereira would likely get a rematch and if anyone deserves it, he does. It was a very close fight and Pereira has been the ultimate company man having five title fights since November 2023.