Magomed Ankalaev has dethroned Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira to claim the Light Heavyweight title belt at the main event of UFC 313 following a win by unanimous decision at the end of a thrilling fight on Saturday morning in Las Vegas.
The 32-year-old Russian emerged victorious at the end of five keenly contested rounds in the octagon, edging his Brazilian rival 48-47 48-47 49-46 on the judges’ scorecards.
“I can’t put it into words, it’s been such a long wait to reach my dream – the title is on my waist,” Ankalaev said after the fight. “I don’t think anything surprised me. I think I could have done a better job in the fight but I’m happy I won. I want to thank my team, Russia, Dagestan, everybody – we have another belt now.”
The result gives Ankalaev a 12th straight win while denying Pereira the chance of claiming a fourth title defence in the space of a year. “I knew it would be a war. He put some pressure on in the second round, but putting me up against the cage, he didn’t really do anything,” Pereira said.
He added, “I’m going to keep training. I feel good, I’ll have a few days off and then get back in training. This is my life.”