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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Simon Samano

Magomed Ankalaev quietly flexes on UFC fighters who picked Alex Pereira to beat him

New UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev is the type of guy to make a statement without saying anything, as was the case coming out of UFC 313.

Ankalaev claimed the 205-pound title from Alex Pereira this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In a somewhat surprising performance, Ankalaev mostly ignored his wrestling while out-striking Pereira over the course of five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win.

In the buildup to UFC 313, Pereira was the popular pick to win among UFC fighters and pundits. Now, with the victory in his pocket, Ankalaev made sure to show the receipts of the big names who predicted he’d lose – among them Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, Robert Whittaker, Michael Bisping, and Henry Cejudo, whom he tagged in a video on X.

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