Ankalaev Opens As Betting Favorite Over Pereira In Potential Rematch

The UFC 313 main event didn’t deliver much excitement and that seemed to be the plan for Magomed Ankalaev, who left T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night with the UFC light heavyweight title wrapped around his waist. Ankalaev and his team put together a top-notch game plan focused on pressure and forward motion to counter the striking of the feared Alex Pereira. That result was a unanimous decision win for the fighter who many thought would use his wrestling to try to unseat Pereira from the top of the UFC light heavyweight division. Despite the lack of fireworks from the main event, UFC CEO Dana White said an immediate rematch is likely for Ankalaev and Pereira.

“It was not what I expected,” White said of the UFC 313 main event at the post-fight press conference. “I expected a lot more shooting. I expected a lot more exchanges.”

“I don’t know if I had the exact score in my head, but I thought Ankalaev won the fight,” White added. “I wasn’t shocked when I heard the decision.”

When asked if a rematch was in the cards for the top fighters in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, the UFC boss said, “Probably.”

Magomed Ankalaev Vs. Alex Pereira Rematch Opening Odds

With the expectation that Ankalaev and Pereira will tangle again in the near future, BetOnline published opening odds for the rematch. With Ankalaev winning at UFC 313 by scores of 49-47, 48-47, 48-47, it’s no surprise to see Ankalaev installed as the betting favorite at -175, while Pereira opens as the +150 betting underdog. Surprisingly, when the opening odds were published for UFC 313, Ankalaev was a bigger favorite (-200) over Pereira (+170). Those odds had shifted by Saturday night, as Pereira closed as the -120 favorite over the +110 Ankalaev.

UFC 313 Main Event Reaction

In my review of the UFC 313 main event, I wrote, of the new champion, “Magomed Ankalaev and his team put together, implemented, and stuck with a strong game plan for Saturday’s fight against Alex Pereira. The strategy was to pressure Pereira, land effective strikes, keep the threat of a takedown in Pereira’s head, and exploit his lack of defensive movement. Ankalaev did just that, seeming to freeze Pereira over the final 20 minutes of the fight and avoid taking any serious damage.

“Fans might not have liked the performance, and the UFC is most likely not going to be overjoyed to see the light heavyweight title move from a knockout artist like Pereira to a fighter like Ankalaev, who is known more for decisions than stoppages, but that’s where they are following UFC 313.

“Ankalaev fought smartly and effectively, managing risk while doing enough damage to carry all three scorecards. Fans don’t have to like it, but there’s no controversy in the decision.”

As for Pereira’s somewhat surprising performance, I said, “Alex Pereira lost his UFC light heavyweight title on Saturday night, falling by unanimous decision to Magomed Ankalaev. Pereira did not seem to have a game plan to answer the pressure and forward motion of his opponent. With Ankalaev leading the dance in the final 20 minutes, Pereira seemed unable or unwilling to switch the momentum of the fight. It was a puzzling performance from the man who entered UFC 313 with an aura of invincibility about him.

“Pereira’s inability to fight off his back foot and inability to keep his head off the center line while defending strikes were especially noticeable on Saturday night.”

Alex Pereira Reacts To UFC 313 Loss

“That’s it, everyone. Some marks. But I’m good,” Pereira said on Instagram. “Going to rest a bit. I’ll be back, like I’ve always done. This has already happened (before). Life continues.”

“Thank you to my team,” Pereira added. “Gonna make some adjustments for the rematch, and I’ll be back much better. You can count on it. Never give up on your dreams. Chama.”

Magomed Ankalaev Reacts To UFC 313 Win

“I was confident,” Ankalaev said at the UFC 313 post-fight press conference when asked about his confidence that his hand would be raised in victory. “I kept on moving forward. I kept on pressuring him, and he kept on running away from me. For 20 minutes, this guy was running away from me. Then I heard at the end of the fight that he was saying he wasn’t sure why the victory was given to me. Who are they supposed to give the victory to? I was pressuring the entire time, and he was running for 20 minutes, and he’s wondering who’s supposed to get the victory?

“Listen, I’m happy for a rematch if he wants a rematch, but maybe the rematch he can fight for real, not just run away the entire time.”

UFC 313 Main Event Results

With the win Ankalaev moved to 20-1-1-1. He is unbeaten in his past 14 fights. His only loss came in his UFC debut when Paul Craig submitted him with one second left in their 2018 matchup. That fight was Ankalaev’s UFC debut.

Pereira dropped to 12-3. He had won each of his previous five UFC light heavyweight bouts. His four previous UFC light heavyweight title fights saw him win via knockout.

Full UFC 313 Fight Card Results

UFC 313 Results: Pay-Per-View Card

Magomed Ankalaev defeats Alex Pereira via unanmious decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
Justin Gaethje defeats Rafael Fiziev via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Ignacio Bahamondes defeats Jalin Turner via submission at 2:29 of Round 1 (Triangle choke from bottom guard)
Amanda Lemos defeats Iasmin Lucindo via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Maurício Ruffy defeats King Green via knockout at 2:07 of Round 1 (Wheel kick to head at distance)

UFC 313 Results: Preliminary Card

Joshua Van defeats Rei Tsuruya via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Brunno Ferreira defeats Armen Petrosyan via submission at 4:27 of Round 2 (Armbar from bottom guard)
Carlos Leal defeats Alex Morono via TKO at 4:16 of Round 1 (Punches to head in clinch)
Mairon Santos defeats Francis Marshall via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)

UFC 313 Results: Early Preliminary Card

Ozzy Diaz defeats Djorden Santos via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

We will have more on the potential rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira as news becomes available.