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Alex Pereira didn’t perform up to his usual lofty standards at UFC 313, but “Poatan” is taking his first light heavyweight defeat in stride.

Pereira relinquished the 205-pound strap to Magomed Ankalaev in Saturday’s headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, falling via unanimous decision in an affair where he struggled to unleash his vaunted striking. After the bout, the Brazilian released a brief statement in a video on Instagram.

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

It isn’t the first time Pereira has tasted defeat in the Octagon, as he suffered a second-round knockout loss to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight title rematch at UFC 287 in April 2023. After that, he move to 205 pounds and won five straight bouts before falling to Ankalaev.

At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White indicated tha…

Magomed Ankalaev did not get the version of Alex Pereira that he expected.

The Dagestani standout outstruck his opponent on the feet and mixed in occasional control against the fence to capture a close unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 313 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. While Pereira is typically known for his offensive prowess, Ankalaev proved to be too difficult a puzzle to solve for the Brazilian star.

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“He was considered to be the best striker in the division on the way to this fight,” Ankalaev said through a translator at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s what everybody was talking about, the narrative was that he’s the best. You saw what kind of best striker he was in the fight. You saw how well we did against the striking and how our striking was working.

“We didn’t have to rely on the wrestling because we were confident in our striking. We were trying to get him to go forward the entire time,…

UPDATE: The UFC website now shows the Palestine flag under Belal Muhammad's name 🇵🇸

🎥 @bullyb170 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/BKZBntKqjp

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 8, 2025

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Belal Muhammad’s complaints about the absence of a flag next to his name have been addressed.

While he now lives in Chicago, Muhammad has always been a proud representative of his Palestinian roots. The UFC welterweight champ walks out with the Palestinian flag and has strongly voiced his opinions on the ongoing crisis in the region.

Muhammad recently complained about the lack of a Palestinian flag next to his name on the UFC’s official website, and Dana White made sure that the issue was addressed immediately. Muhammad thanked White and the UFC for now adding the flag next to his name on the website. “Remember the Name” also noted that White, a strong advocate of free speech, never lets anyone influence his opinions.

“Just wann…

Mauricio Ruffy’s spot among post-fight bonus winners was secured long before UFC 313 concluded.

Ruffy received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a highlight-reel finish of Bobby Green in their featured lighweight encounter on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Fight Nerds standout put his opponent to sleep at 2:07 into the opening round, landing a spinning wheel kick that will likely wind up on many “Knockout of the Year” lists when all is said and done. It was just the 16th knockout by spinning kick in UFC history.

Elsewhere, Ignacio Bahamondes garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for making short work of Jalin Turner in another featured lightweight pairing. Turner took top position early in the bout, but eventually he found himself trapped in a triangle choke. Turner tapped out 2:29 into Round 1, giving Bahamondes his third consecutive first-round finish.

Finally, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev earned “Fi…

Magomed Ankalaev stared into the eyes of a Brazilian boogeyman and did not blink.

Relentless forward pressure, clubbing power punches and a suffocating clinch game spurred Ankalaev to a unanimous decision over Alex Pereira, as he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown in the UFC 313 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three members of the judiciary sided with Ankalaev (20-1-1, 12-1-1 UFC): 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.

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Pereira (12-3, 9-2 UFC) invested heavily in kicks to the lower lead leg, and they seemed to pay dividends initially. However, Ankalaev connected with the most impactful strike of the match near the end of the second round, where he staggered the champion with a clean left hook. Pereira survived but looked uncharacteristically gun-shy as the bout progressed. A closely contested third round gave way to a lopsided fourth for Ankalaev, who trapped “Poatan” along the fence in a dominee…

Sherdog's live UFC 313 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Santos (-192), Diaz (+160)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gutierrez (-110), Castaneda (-110)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SC…

Joshua Van may be rough around the edges, but he has the look of a future contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

Stellar takedown defense and superior standup carried the onetime Fury Fighting Championship titleholder to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Rei Tsuruya in their featured UFC 313 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Van (13-2, 6-1 UFC).

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Tsuruya (10-1, 1-1 UFC) offered little outside of repeated takedown attempts, many of which went nowhere. Van called upon an effective sprawl and peppered the ex-Pancrase champion with a variety of strikes to the head and body. Frustration built for Tsuruya over time. Van increased the intensity of his attacks down the stretch, putting even more distance between himself and his one-dimensional opponent.

Meanwhile, Brazilian TKO standout Brunno Ferreira bounced back from his Oct. 26 submissio…

An icon for fighters and fight fans everywhere 🫡

THANK YOU @Ruthless_RL! Welcome to the #UFCHOF 🤝 | #UFC313 pic.twitter.com/98AHoX9Cvi

— UFC (@ufc) March 9, 2025

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Robbie Lawler is headed to the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

It was announced on the UFC 313 broadcast that the former welterweight champion will be enshrined in the Modern Wing as part of a ceremony held during International Fight week this June. Lawler’s fight with Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 had previousy earned a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing.

“Robbie Lawler is one of the most badass athletes to every step inside the Octagon,” said UFC CEO Dana White. “Robbie was an absolute killer, and I have a ton of respect for his toughness and his fighting style, which helped grow the sport of MMA and UFC by attracting a lot of new fans. Robbie had an amazing career, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

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UFC 313 will move forward with 10 bouts after losing a pair of preliminary contests on the day of the event.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion on Saturday announced that both Curtis Blaydes and John Castaneda have withdrawn from their respective fights due to undisclosed illnesses. Blaydes was supposed to face Rizvan Kuniev at heavyweight, while Castaneda was slated to meet Chris Gutierrez in a featherweight clash.

UFC 313 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship showdown between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. In the co-main event, Justin Gaethje will square off against Rafael Fiziev at lightweight. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN+/Disney+ and continue at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ESPNEWS/ESPN+/Disney+.

Blaydes has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances, including a first-round KO defeat to Tom…

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Things got heated between Jean Silva and Bryce Mitchell at the recent UFC 314 press conference.

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Silva and Mitchell are scheduled to trade leather at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The two recently came across each other at a press conference promoting the event at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Nevada.

Known for his controversial opinions, Mitchell was already getting booed by the crowd when Silva amped them up further by starting a “F—k Bryce Mitchell” chant.

Mitchell recently made headlines with anti-semitic and homophobic comments, for which he later apologized. Silva later called out Mitchell, promising to teach him a lesson for the polarizing comments. Silva also brought a globe to he recent presser, promising to change Mitchell’s well-known opinion of a flat earth.

This will be yet another quick turnaround for “Lord” who quickly rose to stardom with four consecutive finishes since his UF…

😳 Fluffy Hernandez vs Robert Whittaker next?

“He’s a f*cking G, you know what I mean? He’s been in this sport forever. I would love to fight him. That would be a f*cking fun one.”

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🎥: @JakeNoeckerMMA x @Home_of_Fight

Full Anthony Hernandez interview:https://t.co/WiQBy0nmXy pic.twitter.com/CPIv8GFcNl

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 7, 2025

Anthony Hernandez (14-2) would like to have some room for error if he fights Robert Whittaker (26-8).

Making his way to the upper echelon of the middleweight division, Hernandez is now on the verge of attaining contender status. When asked about a potential clash against Whittaker next, Hernandez was excited by the idea.

“Fluffy” said that he would prefer five rounds against the former champ. Known for getting better as the fight progresses, Hernandez often gets tagged in the opening frame of the fight.

“I would love it. That would be an honor, he’s a G,” …

🤯 BUSINESS JUST PICKED UP 🤯

Lazar Todev 🇧🇬 and Will Fleury 🇮🇪 get their hands on each other tomorrow night at OKTAGON 68.

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Who will leave Stuttgart as the baddest man in OKTAGON MMA?

📺 https://t.co/TVP7NaDRbZ & RTL+ pic.twitter.com/wMdXzwfnYh

— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) March 7, 2025 After stints in Bellator MMA and Professional Fighters League, it took Will Fleury only three fights to cement himself as a force in Oktagon MMA.

Since wrestling the light heavyweight title from Karlos Vemola last December, the new champ has set his eyes on another prize. On Saturday, he’ll look to add the heavyweight strap around his waist when he challenges No. 1-ranked challenger Lazar Todev for the vacant belt at Oktagon 68 at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Hall in Stuttgart, Germany.

Fleury (14-3, 1 NC) will ride a seven-fight win streak into Saturday’s main event. A year ago, he was looking for a home promotion after…