Many fans were waiting for a moment that would never come. They were waiting for a moment they had been conditioned – by the granite knuckles and shins of Alex Pereira – to expect, and yet instead, seconds and minutes ticked by. So accustomed to seeing “Poatan” live up to his “Stone Hands” moniker and crush opponents like a pestle in a mortar, they instead watched sands slip through the hourglass of his title defence against Magomed Ankalaev.
And indeed, each timely strike from Ankalaev was a grain upon a grain upon a grain, until there was (or should have been) no disputing the reality: the Russian light-heavyweight had simply outfought Pereira, validated by a unanimous-decision win. The 49-46 scorecard was fairest, while the two 48-47s flattered Pereira; and still, there were some fans who protested on behalf of Pereira.
