Magomed Ankalaev appears indifferent to the widespread criticism from MMA fans who perceived his recent performance as lackluster.
Ankalaev claimed the UFC light heavyweight throne this past weekend, narrowly defeating Alex Pereira via unanimous decision in the headlining matchup at UFC 313 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The fight remained tightly contested from start to finish. "Poatan" set the tone with a sharp opening round, but Ankalaev responded in the second, finding his rhythm and rocking Pereira with a thunderous left hand — arguably the biggest moment of the fight.
Despite his reputation as the superior wrestler, the Dagestani struggled to secure a takedown, failing on all his attempts. However, he compensated by relentlessly pressing forward, dictating the tempo, and trapping Pereira against the cage for extended stretches in the later stages of the fight.
Two judges scored the bout 48-47, while the third had it 49-46, all siding with Ankalaev. However, with several rounds feeling razor-close in real-time, many in the MMA community argued that while the newly crowned champ's approach proved successful against Pereira, it often results in uneventful fights that lack excitement.
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At the UFC 313 post-fight press conference, the newly minted UFC 205-pound champion addressed criticism of his fighting style, expressing confusion over why many label it as boring.
I don't understand why people think that my fights are boring," Magomed Ankalaev said. "Everybody thought that Alex Pereira, coming into this fight, was the most exciting striker in the division, and then you saw the way he fought against me. It seems as though when people come out and fight against me, they all become boring. You saw what he did, so it's not just dependent on me — it also depends on the dance partner, on the opponent that I'm fighting.
With his victory over Alex Pereira, Magomed Ankalaev extended his unbeaten streak to 14 fights — the third-longest active run in the UFC. Along the way, he has claimed wins over top contenders like Aleksandar Rakić, Thiago Santos, and Anthony Smith.
