Magomed Ankalaev stuns, beating Pereira to claim light heavyweight title at UFC 313

Magomed Ankalaev delivered a shocking upset at UFC 313, defeating Alex Pereira by unanimous decision to seize the UFC light heavyweight championship on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The No. 1 contender’s victory, scored 49-46 and 48-47 twice by the judges, crowned a new champion and halted Pereira’s dominant run in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,169.

Ankalaev (21-1-1) unseated Pereira (12-3), who had defended his title three times in the past year, cementing his status as one of the UFC’s biggest draws. “I knew it would be a war,” Pereira said post-fight. “Every fight of mine is a war.” The loss ends his bid to become one of the fastest fighters to four title defenses in UFC history, a streak that had captivated fans since his 2023 title win.

In the co-main event, No. 3-ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje (27-5) secured a unanimous decision over No. 11 Rafael Fiziev (12-4), dropping Fiziev with a right uppercut in the second round. Gaethje stepped in after original opponent Dan Hooker withdrew due to a hand injury.

Dana White’s Take: A Tactical Main Event and a Packed Night

At the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White shared his initial thoughts on the main event. “It was a tactical battle, we’ll say,” White noted, admitting it wasn’t the explosive firefight he’d anticipated. “Not what I expected—expected a lot more shooting, a lot more exchanges.” He confirmed he hadn’t yet spoken to Pereira, who didn’t appear at the presser, leaving open questions about the ex-champ’s condition. “I haven’t seen him yet. Is he coming here? Maybe, potentially,” White said, his tone hinting at concern. Asked if Pereira looked off—perhaps due to his globe-trotting schedule, including a recent Sydney trip—White deferred: “That’s a question for him to answer. I definitely don’t know his schedule.”

White scored the fight for Ankalaev, saying, “I thought Ankalaev won the fight. I wasn’t shocked when I heard the decision.” Given the closeness of the bout and Pereira’s stellar reign, White leaned toward an immediate rematch. “Probably, yeah,” he said when pressed on matchmaking, though he emphasized no decisions are made on fight night.

The event itself was a financial success, pulling in a $10.1 million gate with 18,169 fans filling T-Mobile Arena. White awarded Fight of the Night honors—and $50,000 bonuses—to Gaethje and Fiziev, who edged out an earlier prelim bout for the distinction. “They stole it away from the first two kids of the night,” White said, praising the co-main’s intensity. Performance of the Night bonuses went to Ignacio Bahamondes and Mauricio Ruffy, each pocketing $50,000 for their finishes—Bahamondes with a submission, Ruffy with a knockout.

Gaethje’s Path and Pereira’s Legacy

Gaethje, back in the win column after a 2024 knockout loss to Max Holloway, told White backstage he still eyes a lightweight title shot before retiring. White sees it as feasible. “He’s still the No. 3-ranked guy in the world, so the odds of him getting a title shot are pretty good,” he said, though contenders like Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, and featherweight champ Ilia Topuria complicate the picture. “Injuries, timing, geographically where we end up—there’s a lot of different things that determine whether a guy fights for the title,” White added.

For Pereira, White reflected on a remarkable year. “The story of him and Israel Adesanya is incredibly fascinating—guys that come from kickboxing and were able to come to the UFC and dominate the way that they have,” he said. “It’s nothing I’ve ever seen before in the sport.” Despite the loss, White didn’t rule out Pereira’s return to 205 pounds—or a potential heavyweight clash with Jon Jones, a fight hyped by mainstream media. “There’s still tough guys to fight in the light heavyweight division,” he countered. “This division wasn’t cleaned out yet.”

Beyond the Octagon: Bonuses, PPV Glitches, and Boxing Ventures

The night wasn’t without hiccups. Some fans were frustrated that they were unable to buy the pay-per-view on ESPN+. “They were having problems buying it—I don’t know what happened with their platform tonight, but yeah, there were a lot of angry people,” he said.

Elsewhere, White highlighted emerging talent. Ruffy’s knockout joined Bahamondes’ submission as standout moments, with White noting a “new wave of lightweights surging up” globally. He also addressed Jalin Turner’s brief retirement talk after a loss, saying, “Somebody talked him out of retiring in the Octagon tonight,” though he respects fighters’ instincts to step away.

White’s week was a whirlwind—UFC 313 capped a stretch that included Power Slap, Fight Pass Invitational jiu-jitsu, and a boxing press tour with Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia. On boxing, White confirmed his role managing the sport for Alalshikh, aiming to rebuild it from the ground up. “The sport of boxing is so broken—it needs to be built from the ground up again,” he said, eyeing a rights deal and “one-of-one” events like the upcoming Times Square boxing spectacle with Ryan Garcia, which he called “brilliant.”

For Power Slap, now on YouTube after stints with Rumble, White touted its 2.5 billion potential viewers. “It’s more about eyeballs,” he said, predicting growth: “Watch what happens to Power Slap in the next two years.” He also teased a $10-12 million investment in jiu-jitsu over the next year, hinting at big grappling matchups, though UFC stars like Alex Volkanovski or Khabib Nurmagomedov would come later.

For fans, the $10.1 million night delivered a new champ—and plenty of questions for the months ahead.