UFC

Magomed Ankalaev Crowned New UFC Light Heavyweight Champion After Unanimous Decision Victory Over Alex Pereira

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Louis Fargher
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Louis Fargher Sports Editor

Louis is a Sports Editor specialising in football, darts and WWE focusing on the latest news and long-form features. He graduated from the University of Derby in 2023 with a Bachelors Degree in Football Journalism and has produced content for Burton Albion and Chesterfield.

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Published09 Mar 2025

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Magomed Ankalaev stunned UFC fans across the world after beating Alex Pereira via unanimous decision to win the light heavyweight title.

Magomed Ankalaev Beats Alex Pereira To Win UFC LHW Title

The UFC 313 main event was one of the most highly-anticipated fights of 2025, as Poatan looked entered his fourth light heavyweight title defence.

Many believed a matchup with Ankalaev would be Pereira’s biggest test in the UFC so far, as the Brazilian had not faced anyone with the grappling skill-set that the Russian possesses.

The fight was a close-fought battle for the majority of the five rounds and despite the pre-match discussion over Ankalaev’s grappling, the Russian did not secure a single takedown.

In the second round, Ankalaev landed a vicious left hand on Pereira’s chin and made the Champion’s legs buckle before the end of the round.

Rounds three to four were fairly even, however, Ankalaev had the majority of control by forcing the clinch and grinding Pereira down on the cage.

The fifth round was another close battle, however, the Russian light heavyweight did enough for the judges and was awarded with a 49-46, 48-47 and 48-7 unanimous decision victory.

In his post-fight interview, Pereira gave his thoughts on the decision and claimed Ankalaev’s game plan of putting the Brazilian against the cage did not do much damage.

Pereira said: “Putting me up against the cage, he didn’t really do anything. Giving him the win with a gameplan like that incentivises people to do that.”

The future of the light heavyweight division has now changed drastically, as many were expecting Pereira to beat Ankalaev and then move up to face Jon Jones at heavyweight.

However, the Brazilian may be looking for revenge against the Russian and to reclaim the title, meaning we may see a part two in the near future.