Ankalaev slams Pereira for 'running away' during UFC 313 fight
Newly crowned light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev criticized Alex Pereira's performance after their UFC 313 title bout.
Ankalaev earned a unanimous decision win to claim the title in Saturday's main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ankalaev outworked Pereira and stifled his offense with pressure, clinch work, and a varied attack on the feet.
The 32-year-old Dagestani said he felt like "Poatan" didn't engage with him throughout much of the tactical fight.
"It was very different from what we envisioned," Ankalaev said through an interpreter at the postfight press conference. "Because, as you know, usually Pereira hunts for the finish, he moves forward. ... Here, it was very different. As you could see, he was running away from me. He wasn't letting me work, and he himself wasn't really working much."
Fans booed Ankalaev during his postfight interview, seemingly unhappy with the fight's outcome. But the new champ believes the complaints should be aimed at Pereira.
"I kept on moving forward, I kept the pressure on him, and he kept on running away from me," Ankalaev said. "For 20 minutes, this guy was running away from me. I heard at the end of the fight, he was saying that he wasn't sure why the victory was given to me. Who's supposed to be given the victory? ... He was running for 20 minutes."
He added, "I'm happy for a rematch if he wants a rematch. But then maybe in the rematch he could fight for real and not just run away the entire time."
UFC CEO Dana White said after the event that he would "probably" grant Pereira an immediate rematch against Ankalaev. Pereira, one of the biggest stars in the promotion, had been the 205-pound champion since November 2023 and successfully defended the title three times.
Ankalaev has faced criticism throughout his UFC career for having a lackluster style - and that was no different Saturday. But he believes fans are missing the bigger picture.
"I don't understand why people think that my fights are boring," Ankalaev said, adding, "It's not just dependent on me, it also depends on the dance partner."