Magomed Ankalaev Honored in His Home Region of Dagestan
At UFC 313 on March 8th, Magomed Ankalaev turned in the performance of a lifetime, defeating juggernaut knockout artist Alex Pereira to claim the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. The result surprised many fans, who have grown accustomed to seeing Pereira dominate his competition over the past two years. Ankalaev’s victory snapped a string of four straight title-fight wins for Pereira, which all came via KO/TKO.
The Dagestani challenger looked great throughout the fight. He took noticeable damage from Alex Pereira’s crushing leg kicks, but otherwise managed to stay very defensively responsible, eating just 11 significant strikes to the head and 17 to the body. His constant forward pressure, clean kickboxing, and ability to hold Pereira on the cage were enough to give him the victory by unanimous decision.
Despite the solid showing from Ankalaev, it was a relatively close decision, with 2 of the 3 judges awarding 2 rounds to Alex Pereira. Following UFC 313, UFC President Dana White suggested an immediate rematch is very possible. However, for now Magomed Ankalaev is the undisputed champion. Fans around the world are giving him his flowers for a wonderful showing. He was even praised recently by his government, who awarded him the Dagestan Medal of Honor, one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by the Russian republic.
Ankalaev Humbled By Show of Support from Dagestan
Magomed Ankalaev broke news of the prestigious award via Instagram:
“At the invitation of the Head of the Republic of Dagestan, my coaches and I visited the government, where a pleasant surprise awaited me – Sergey Alimovich Melikov presented me with the highest award of the republic. During the meeting, we heard many kind words and important instructions, which inspired us to work even harder and represent the country with dignity on the international stage. Thank you, Sergey Alimovich, for your support and attention to athletes!”
He joins fellow Dagestani UFC Champions Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov in being recognized by Dagestan for his outstanding representation of their people on the world stage.
Next Steps for the New Champion
As mentioned, Magomed Ankalaev will likely have to defeat Alex Pereira a second time to cement his title reign. The fight was very competitive, and the pool of contenders is also a bit thin at the moment. Jiri Prochazka has never fought Ankalaev, but he has lost two title fights in two years. It’s unclear whether the UFC is eager to give him another chance anytime soon. Jamahal Hill has similarly never squared off with Ankalaev, but is coming off of two straight losses. Jan Blachowicz fought Ankalaev to a draw, however, many fans found the fight boring. UFC is likely not clamoring to book that rematch either.
It’s an unfortunate situation for Ankalaev. His lone loss came seven years ago, and he is fully deserving of his success. However, the relative lack of exciting matchups, combined with his penchant for winning by decision, will likely create a muted fan reception. Regardless, if he can defeat Alex Pereira a second time, he will have proven himself thoroughly as the best in the world. If the fans aren’t excited for him, at least he will always have his home country in his corner cheering him on.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
