LAS VEGAS — Few fighters in the history of the UFC had the chance Alex Pereira had on Saturday night.
Pereira had the opportunity to solidify himself as the unquestioned face of the UFC by simply doing what fight fans have come to expect from him over the last two years. He didn’t even come close.
The typically fear-inducing Brazilian put forward his lamest performance to date, being thoroughly outclassed on the cards by challenger Magomed Ankalaev. One judge gave Ankalaev a 49-46 advantage, while the others scored the fight 48-47 in the Dagestani’s favor. My own card saw Anklaev take four rounds to Pereira’s one.
“It was very different from what we envisioned,” Ankalaev said. “Usually, Pereira moves forward and he tries to hunt his opponents for the finish. Here, it was very different. He was running away from me. He wasn’t letting me work and he wasn’t working too much himself. You saw the way that played out.”
If the introductions were any indication, Pereira’s aura remained intact in the moments leading up to the fight. As Bruce Buffer dove into his signature routine, the camera focused in on a bone-chilling visual of Pereira’s ghoulish and intimidating eyes. As someone who steadily predicted an Ankalaev victory throughout the week, even I found myself second-guessing in that moment. That sentiment was short-lived.
Ankalaev turned the pro-Pereira crowd sour by the third round, when it became apparent that Ankalaev’s stand-up pressure and grappling would prove fatal to Pereira’s title defense streak. Pereira spent most of the latter half of the fight with his back against the octagon, with little control over the damage Anklaev was inflicting.
Dana White often says that the UFC is in the business of giving fans “Oh, shit” moments. The only moment of shock during Saturday’s main event was the realization that the UFC’s most marketable star would no longer be the champion at the end of the night.
Ankalaev’s win was as much of a statement as it was redemption. Ankalaev fell short in the only other title opportunity of his career, a split draw against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282 in December 2022.
As difficult as UFC 282 was for Ankalaev, being the guy to end Pereira's run will prove to be a substantial boost to his legacy. A win over Blachowicz wouldn’t have solidified him to Ankalaev that he became solidified on Saturday night. The only way he could have made it better was by putting Pereira to sleep.
While many would argue that Ankalaev’s win was bad for the UFC from a marketing perspective, the truth is that it was a necessary end to Pereira’s title run. Pereira’s knockout ability has made him the UFC’s top draw but his shortcomings elsewhere limit his ceiling in the sport. Albeit, the lack of marketable stars has been the UFC's biggest challenge in recent years. Saturday’s result certainly didn't help them in that regard.
However, Ankalaev's victory put the belt in the hands of the most capable fighter in the division. And that's the entire purpose of crowning a champion.