Israel Adesanya shared his live reaction to Magomed Ankalaev’s decision victory over Alex Pereira this past weekend at UFC 313, expressing surprise at the judges’ scorecards and questioning the fight’s outcome.
“I had Alex winning… but I have to watch it again and score the fight properly,” Adesanya said during his YouTube reaction video. Like many fans, he appeared puzzled by the 49-46 score in favor of Ankalaev, especially given Pereira’s striking success.
Adesanya acknowledged Ankalaev’s clinch work but wasn’t convinced it was enough to secure the win. “He dropped him, yeah… but the holding? He didn’t really do much with the holding.” Pereira’s aggressive striking seemed to impress Adesanya more, but he admitted the fight was competitive.
Despite the controversial outcome, Adesanya believes a rematch is likely.
“I think he’ll get a rematch… spin the block, we out.”
Given Pereira’s standing in the division and UFC’s history of booking rematches for close fights, Adesanya’s prediction holds weight.
In classic “Stylebender” fashion, Adesanya ended with a reflective take on the unpredictability of MMA:
“What a stupid game we play—I f***ing love it.”
With the controversy surrounding this fight, the debate will rage on, and all eyes will be on whether Pereira gets another shot at Ankalaev.
Adesanya’s most recent fight was against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 on February 1, 2025, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which ended in a second-round knockout loss for the Stylebender. This marked Adesanya’s third consecutive loss, putting him at 1-4 in his past five bouts.
