Scorecards: Ankalaev Shut Down Pereira In Middle Rounds

03/09/2025 03:24 AM

Take a look at how the judges scored the Pereira vs. Ankalaev main event round by round at UFC 313.

It wasn't pretty, but Magomed Ankalaev took the UFC light heavyweight belt off Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 313.

Judges saw the fight 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 for the Russian fighter, who was able to use constant forward pressure to keep "Poatan" from mounting any significant offense through their five round title fight.

All three judges had Pereira winning the first round, which saw him throw endless leg kicks to try and hobble Ankalaev early. But things turned Ankalaev's way in the second round as he began to use the threat of takedowns and counters to affect Pereira's volume. Near the end of the round he caught Pereira with his hands out and blasted him with a one-two that nearly put him to the canvas.

That was the story of the fight for rounds three, four, and five: Ankalaev was fast enough with his hands to put Pereira on the defensive, and mixed in some stifling grappling against the cage to frustrate his opponent. Pereira never seemed to get out of first gear, but don't get it twisted: that was because Ankalaev never let him.

Two judges had round five going back to Pereira, but the third gave it to Ankalaev. That tells you how close the round was, but it was more of the same: a battle of inches with "Poatan" struggling to respond to Ankalaev frustrating style.

Afterwards, Pereira complained that judges were encouraging fighters to employ boring tactics like wall n' stall. If he wants to beat Ankalaev in a rematch, he'll have to figure out a solution to that problem.

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