Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

UFC 313 Aftermath – Pereira vs Ankalaev Had a Lot of Similarities to Strickland vs Adesanya!

Israel Adesanya's new buddy Alex Pereira was outclassed by Dagestani Magomed Ankalaev!

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

At UFC 313, Ankalaev defeated Pereira to become the light heavyweight champion of the UFC. The odds were stacked against Ankalaev going into the fight but that never let it bother him. Even during the fight, there were a lot of boos from the crowd but he could care less as he had his eyes set on the ultimate prize. When the Russian claimed that he could stand up and take on Poatan, many, including us, thought that it was not the brightest idea, but all the credit goes to him for staying true to his word and winning the fight at the end.

Watching the fight between Ankalaev and Pereira, it reminded us of UFC 293 where we saw Israel Adesanya take on Sean Strickland. Looking at these two fights, let us compare the similarities between the two fights.

Also Read: UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings – Aftermath Of UFC 313 As Magomed Ankalaev Shuts Down Alex Pereira’s Striking To Win The UFC Light Heavyweight Title!

What Are the Similarities Between These Two Fights?

If you look at Adesanya vs Strickland and Pereira vs Ankalaev, in both the fights the underdogs won, whereas the favorites lost. There are some more similarities and we will list them out.

Both Izzy and Poatan were rocked!

In the first round of the fight at UFC 293, Strickland threw a quick jab and a devastating right hook on Izzy’s face which rocked him but was saved because of the bell.

SCENES IN SYDNEY AS THE CHAMPION IS ROCKED! 🤯

Sean Strickland just dropped Israel Adesanya to close out the first round! #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/LOBfwcOCWe
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 10, 2023

Similarly at UFC 313, Ankalaev rocked Pereira at final seconds of round 2 and he was on the brink of losing the fight but the bell saved Poatan and his legacy.

MAGOMED ANKALAEV ROCKS ALEX PEREIRA WITH A BIG LEFT HAND AT THE END OF THE SECOND ROUND!! 😳😳 #UFC313 https://t.co/jxw61IFYct
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 9, 2025

Izzy and Poatan were both champions

Both Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira are kickboxers who were also UFC champs in their respective divisions. However both the fighters lost the fight against the underdogs while they were the heavy favorites.

This was the worst robbery in UFC history

Ankalaev went 0 for 12 on takedowns and got out-struck in 4 out of the 5 rounds pic.twitter.com/EkxWBkBnc3
— Casual MMA (@CasualMMAinc) March 9, 2025

Both the fighters underestimated their opponents!

Since Ankalaev and Strickland were underdogs in their respective fights, both Poatan and Adesanya overlooked them in many ways. The two underestimating the toughness and seriousness of their opponents was a big mistake and it cost them their belts. Both Izzy and Pereira made various claims regarding the way they were going to win but that never turned out to be true.

Both Izzy and Poatan love to put a lot of pressure on their opponents

If you look closely in both of these fights, it was surprising to see Izzy and Poatan, who are usually the first ones to apply pressure to their opponents, taken out of their element and were made to go on more of a defensive stance. All credit goes to Strickland and Ankalaev who did not give the two fighters any space to make a move. Both Adesanya and Pereira were beaten at their own game.

Magomed Ankalaev outstruck Alex Pereira in three rounds in a close fight on the feet 👊

Dana White said that we will "probably" see an immediate rematch between these two 👀

Ankalaev vs. Pereira II would be special 🍿 #UFC313 pic.twitter.com/awyEqGNLYN
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 9, 2025

Will this be the beginning of the end for Alex Pereira?

When we look at Adesanya’s UFC career, even though he’s a terrific fighter and possibly the second greatest middleweight of all time, he’s been on a steady decline. Ever since he lost his belt at UFC 293, Izzy has struggled to gather any kind of momentum and has lost three straight fights, which is highly unusual for somebody like him.

Since we looked at the similarities between the Izzy and Pereira, we can’t help but wonder if Pereira will start declining like Izzy did after their losses in their respective title fights. While Poatan is extremely talented, age also plays a huge factor and he is already 37 years of age. Will he start declining or will Pereira summit the top again? Only time will tell.

Also Read: Jiri Prochazka Calls For A Title Shot With The New Champ Magomed Ankalaev, Ready For Trilogy Fight As Well!

Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya

Magomed Ankalaev

Sean Strickland

UFC

UFC 313

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.