Alex Pereira lost his UFC light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev in a close decision at UFC 313, with Pereira’s coaches disagreeing with the judges’ scorecards and expressing confidence in a future rematch where they aim to reclaim the belt.
Alex Pereira lost his UFC light heavyweight title last Saturday in Las Vegas. Magomed Ankalaev narrowly edged out a close five-round decision to claim the 205-pound gold at UFC 313’s main event.
Pereira’s coaches, unsurprisingly, aren’t on board with the scorecards.
Plinio Cruz and Glover Teixeira shared their thoughts in a video on Pereira’s YouTube page. They believed Pereira was superior in rounds one, three, and five. Interestingly, all judges agreed Pereira took the first round. Only one judge gave him the fifth, though. Ankalaev snagged the third round with a 10-9 score across the board.
Teixeira expressed his opinion candidly: “We had this defeat, but in my opinion he won.” He added that they’d return to the drawing board, tweak a few things, and aim for a rematch. Poatan is no stranger to making history, after all.
Cruz chimed in too, echoing Teixeira’s sentiments and vowing to help Pereira reclaim the belt if given another shot. UFC 313 wasn’t just a fight; it was a learning curve for everyone involved.
“Life is made of ups and downs,” Cruz remarked. These experiences shape us on our journey to our goals. The team will regroup and come back stronger. Despite the setback, they have no excuses—Poatan was ready.
Rivalries fuel growth, according to Cruz. This time it went Ankalaev’s way, but they’ll train harder and smarter for next time. A more formidable “Poatan 2.0” is on the horizon.
Pereira himself had some thoughts on Ankalaev’s strategy post-fight. He criticized judges rewarding fighters who hold onto opponents for most of a round but admitted he hasn’t watched the fight yet to form a detailed opinion.
“Of course it’s not the result I wanted,” Pereira confessed. Confidence was high going into the fight; he trained hard, but things happen. No excuses here; he’s already eyeing that rematch.
For everything he’s accomplished and how the fight unfolded, many are questioning the decision. Once he watches the fight, he’ll have more to say—it’s tough to gauge when you’re in there battling it out.