Magomed Ankalaev marked an astonishing upheaval against Alex Pereira at the UFC 313 in Las Vegas on Sunday, taking the light heavy belt of the favorite of Brazilian fans after the three judges marked in favor of the Russian star of the MMA.
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Magomed Ankalaev marked an astonishing upheaval against Alex Pereira to win the undisputed light heavyweight title in the UFC 313. The plan of the Russian MMA star was to undergo a permanent pressure on his Brazilian opponent, and his strategy finally paid off on Saturday.
“I can’t even put it in words,” said Ankalaev in the ring during the post-combat interview through a translator. “It was so far away, and it’s my dream. It’s on my size.
The three judges marked in favor of Ankalaev (21-1-1), with scores of 49-46 and two to 48-47.
Ankalaev has never been intimidated by his well -decorated opponent, even after enduring a kick -off barrier in the first round.
Rather than playing things cautiously, Ankalaev went to the offensive and remained aggressive by removing Pereira while using an overwhelming left hand which continued to stagger the best active Star of the UFC.
The announcement of Bruce Buffer with the result propelled a choir of huae from the pro-Perira crowd.
The moment he was waiting for! 👏@Ankalaevm is the new light heavyweight champion! # UFC313 pic.twitter.com/l4rtlmy8ba
– UFC (@ufc) March 9, 2025
“I knew it would be a war,” said Pereira (12-3-0), who put his belt in play for the fourth time. “Each of my fights is a war.”
Pereira (12-2), who will be 38 years old on July 7, closed -120 at BETMGM Sportsbook.
As close as the fight was, the president and chief executive officer of the UFC, Dana White, had a word when asked for a potential revenge match: “Probably.”
Gaethje wins a unanimous victory over Fiziev
In the co-principal event, the light favorite and the classified fans n ° 3 Justin Gaethje (27-5-0) made a unanimous decision on n ° 11 Rafael Fiziev (12-4-0) in what was tabulated “Fight of the Night”. Gaethje had to fight Dan Hooker, who withdrew due to a hand injury. Gatheje dropped Fiziev with a steep uppercut in the second round.
Ignacio Bahamondes light (17-5-0) won a victory in the first round when he made Jalin Turner (14-9-0) after administering triangle strangulation at 2:29. Turner left the cage and waited in front of Press Row for Bahamondes to finish his interview, with the intention of returning to the cage to leave his gloves and signify his retirement. Security would not let it come back, however.
The candidate for the weight of straw n ° 5, Amanda Lemos, improved at 15-4-1 with a unanimous decision on Iasmin Lucindo, seventh, (17-6-0).
Mauricio Ruffy (12-1-0) delivered a rotating heel kick with his right foot to the King Green temple (32-17-1) to mark a vicious blow at only 2:07 in the first round of their light fight.
Right after Ruffy’s kick and before the female fight, a tribute video for Robbie Lawler played in honor of the former Welter weight champion. By looking at Cageside, an emotional Lawler received a standing ovation because it was announced that it would be inducted into the modern wing of the UFC renown temple as a member of the 2025 class. The ceremony will take place as part of the 13th annual UFC International Combat week on June 26.
An icon for combatants and combat fans everywhere 🫡
THANK YOU @Ruthless_rl! Welcome to the #Ufchof 🤝 | # UFC313 pic.twitter.com/98ahox9cvi
– UFC (@ufc) March 9, 2025
“Robbie was an absolute killer, and I have a ton of respect for his tenacity and his combat style, which helped develop the sport of MMA and the UFC by attracting many new fans,” said the president and chief executive officer of the UFC White in a press release.
UFC 313 results:
– MOGAME Ankalaev def. Alex Pereira via a unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
– Justin Gaethje Def. Rafael Fiziev via a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
– Ignacio Bahamondes def. Jalin Turner via submission (Triangle Choke) in R1
– Amanda lemos def. Iasmin Lucindo via a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
– Mauricio Ruffy def. King Green via KO (rotation wheel kick) in R1
– Joshua van Def. Rei Tsuruya by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
– Brunno Ferreira def. Armen Petrosyan via submission (Brassard) in R2
– Carlos Leal Def. Alex Morono via TKO (strike) in R1
– Mairon Santos def. Francis Marshall via the Division decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
– Ozzy Diaz Def. Djorden Santos via a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
With the AP entries
