Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Dana White Has a 1-Word Reaction to Pereira vs. Ankalaev Rematch Question

Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

In UFC 313 there was a huge upset as Alex Pereira, who was the favorite to win the fight, lost against Magomed Ankalaev. The Russian walked off with the light heavyweight belt and there was a new champion crowned.

Out of the five rounds, Ankalaev won rounds 2,3, and 4, and Pereira won rounds 1 and 5. He was the underdog going into the fight but that did not bother him at all. When Ankalaev mentioned that he wanted to stand up and take on Pereira, he wasn’t lying. Pereira is known for his lethal striking and precision but Ankalaev became one of the few who could keep up with the Brazlian. Poatan had 55% significant strike rate but Ankalaev was close with 52%.

Ankalaev beat Poatan at his own game and in the postfight conference, he even claimed that he did not have to resort to Wrestling to beat Pereira as his strikes would be enough. Love him or hate him, Ankalaev is only the second fighter to have beaten Poatan and also ended the Brazilian’s streak of remaining undefeated in the light heavyweight division.

Also Read: UFC PPV Not Working Leaves Fans Furious! Why Weren’t People Able To Buy UFC 313 PPV?

IT'S ANKALAEV TIME ⏰🏆

Magomed Ankalaev defeats Alex Pereira by Unanimous Decision to BECOME the new light heavyweight champion of the world!

[ B2YB: @WOLFpaktrust ] pic.twitter.com/Q9qA0KrAJ2
— UFC (@ufc) March 9, 2025

Dana White responds to Pereira vs Ankalaev rematch question by the reporter

In the post-fight conference, when Dana White (President of the UFC) was asked about if Poatan would get an immediate rematch against Ankalaev, he replied with just one word, “Probably.”

Pereira looked like a shell of himself at UFC 313. He did not look as confident and composed as he usually does. He was even rocked in the fight and was nearly taken down. While his defense against Ankalaev’s takedown attempts were solid, he lacked a sense of urgency and failed to pressure the Russian which may have cost him the fight.

49-46, 48-47, 48-47 #UFC313

Magomed Ankalaev beats Alex Pereira by unanimous decision! pic.twitter.com/hxeasdAaZv
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 9, 2025

Did Alex Pereira travelling all over the world affect his performance in the Octagon?

If you’ve been following Pereira, you should by now know that he’s been travelling all over the world. A reporter asked Dana White about if Pereira travelling to various places time and time again, instead of just training at home, affected his performance in the fight or if it was just Ankalaev putting all the pressue on Pereira?.

White replied “I think that’s a question definitely for him (Pereira) to answer.” He continued “I definitely don’t know the schedule but I know he’s been bouncing around but you see this with everyone. When somebody becomes a big star and they start making lots of money, there’s a lot of doors that open and opportunities. But there was no doubt that everybody knew that Ankalaev was going to be a tough fight for him. Everybody knew this was probably going to be the biggest challenge of his career.”

” I wouldn’t take anything away from Ankalaev and the pressure that he put on Alex tonight.”

Also Read: UFC 313 Results- Ignacio Bahamondes pulls off stunning arm triangle against Jalin Turner to enter top 15 at Lightweight!

We do not think that Pereira lost his fight because of all the travelling he does. Pereira has never ducked any fighter nor does he run away from any challenge. All credit should go to Ankalaev and even though he was the underdog, he proved to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, fighter that Poatan has faced so far in his career.

Alex Pereira got WOBBLED by Ankalaev saved by BELL #UFC313 #PereiraVsAnkalaev pic.twitter.com/NXSaeonz1I
— X Fights (@XKnockouts) March 9, 2025

Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev

UFC

Eric Divakaran

nba

nfl

mma

I cover the National Football League and things cannot get better than that. I always dreamed to play football or basketball professionally since I’m built like a Running Back. But now that I can’t, since I’m technically in the “Unc” age, I thought why not pick a career in sports industry? So here I am, doing what I love, and hoping that the Commanders win the Super Bowl. I give love to players when it’s due, but can be critical about their performances at the same time. Enough about me, now let my articles do all the talking.