UFC 313 is in the books following a closely contested main event that went down to the scorecards.
The Octagon’s return to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas featured some great highlights and stunning performances.
Justin Gaethje’s second win over Rafael Fiziev was another great outing from ‘The Highlight’ but the main event was the real ticket seller on March 8.
Alex Pereira faced off with Magomed Ankalaev in the fourth defense of his light heavyweight title against the man that many expected to be his toughest challenge.
This proved to be the case with Ankalaev dethroning Pereira via a unanimous decision despite having limited success with his grappling.
Fans react to Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev scorecards
The main event of UFC 313 was a strategic showdown where despite having his fair share of moments, many fight fans didn’t think that Alex Pereira performed particularly well.
‘Poatan’ won the first round on all three scorecards but Magomed Ankalaev was able to respond extremely well in the second round, landing the biggest shot of the fight in the final seconds.
The third round was seen by many to be contentious but despite how close it was, all three judges agreed that the challenger did enough to win 10-9.
Ankalaev secured another clear round in the fourth where he was able to grapple with the champion up against the cage and limit the offense of the dangerous striker.
Pereira took the fifth round on two of the scorecards but it wasn’t enough to swing the fight in his favor, resulting in 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for a unanimous decision.
After the UFC posted the scorecards on social media in the immediate aftermath of the fight, fans reacted to the final decision of the night at UFC 313.
Pereira’s fan base are always vocal but they were especially critical of the judges in this instance.
“I think we’ve had enough already. Stop the memes and jokes. Just fire Sal D’Amato. You know what? Fire them all. I want new judges from now on. New names. I’m tired,” replied one fan whilst another echoed the same sentiment by calling for the promotion to “Fire these judges.”
Could Alex Pereira face Magomed Ankalaev in a rematch?
Given what Alex Pereira has been able to do as the light heavyweight champion and how close the fight was, a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev isn’t out of the realms of possibility.
That being said, ‘Poatan’ also has other options for big fights whether that means moving to heavyweight or dipping his toes into boxing.
Pereira may want the win back but with how devastating he has been at 205-pounds, there would at least be the opportunity for some new matchups in the division if Ankalaev moves on from the Brazilian.
A rematch in Abu Dhabi wouldn’t be the worst idea and like anything Pereira does, the fans will be on board but it isn’t the most exciting option for the former champion right now.