The final UFC 313 decision came with a lot of controversy. It was an overall good card, but for many, the main event left a disappointing feeling. In a close fight between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev, reactions suggest that the judges got the decision wrong. It could, however, prove to show a deeper precedent forming in the sport.
Combat sports fans often live by the mantra, ‘To be the man, you have to beat the man.’ This mentality makes sense. It takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication to get to the top. This consequently means that for someone to earn the champ’s position, traditionally, it needs to be taken away.
Results from the T-Mobile Arena provide evidence that this is no longer a given. Even for those who gave Ankalaev a 3-2 advantage based on rounds, it was far from a performance that would necessarily be described as dominant. At least in terms of initial impressions, it was a UFC 313 decision that could have gone either way.
Breaking it down round by round, the third and fifth rounds had the most discussion surrounding them. The former was tight, without too much separation. On numbers alone, Pereira landed 21 total and significant strikes here. Ankalaev, meanwhile, had 18 total strikes and 17 significant ones, based on the official UFC website. They both showed a willingness to stand and exchange.
Ankalaev, though, had better bookends of the third. For a lot of it, particularly toward the tail end, the Russian continued to push Pereira back more. More importantly, he landed the bigger shots. Against the cage, he kneed the Brazilian while pushing him against the cage. He furthermore landed a jab that momentarily caused his opponent to stumble. These allowed the eventual winner to take the pivotal round and earned UFC 313 decision.
Some may point to Pereira outlanding Ankalaev. In the fifth, the Russian outstruck his Brazilian counterpart, with 20 significant strikes to 14. While this may justify Sal D’Amato’s assessment a little more, this should instead further illustrate that not all strikes, significant or otherwise, are created equal.
An area Pereira excelled at was in takedown defense. This should not be used as a point to elevate his present belt claim. Stuffing a dozen attempts through five rounds is impressive and deserves credit in its own right. Fans suggesting that points should be awarded for this are too shortsighted following the UFC 313 decision.
When a fighter blocks a high kick, that doesn’t warrant point consideration. The reward, instead, is being able to continue fighting without absorbing what can be a lethal blow to the head. In a similar fashion, stopping someone from a take to the ground allows the fighter to not have to endure the weight and pressure of potentially continuing on the back.
By advocating for scores to take defenses into consideration, the resulting incentive would be for people to not risk going for a legitimate move in mixed martial arts. The art of grappling involves more than just dragging an opponent to the floor. If someone can’t get away from the pressure or avoid being pressed against the fence, that’s not on the initiator to act otherwise. Pereira, in this case, needed to be more aggressive and force Ankalaev back to flip the UFC 313 decision, similar to what could be seen in the fifth.
In the past, after a close fight, the belt would stay with the superstar. In the entertainment business, giving strong consideration to one of the more popular figures in the sport would take precedence. This unanimous decision points toward judges instead assessing each title fight in isolation.
Meaning, the aforementioned unspoken rule of dethroning a champion doesn’t necessarily apply any longer. Dana White deserves credit for this. Yes, fans saw his reaction after seeing the UFC 313 decision, and that’s understandable. He instantly knew the potential leverage for a heavyweight megafight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall went down.
During the ensuing press conference, however, he sided with the adjudicators in their UFC 313 decision. His siding with the new crown wearer, without having necessarily ‘taken’ it away, is an aspect that’s missing in the sports landscape as a whole.
Too often, legacy or token choices are made for All-Star game selections, for example. Unwritten rules seemingly paralyze those with voting power from making the right choice within the season’s actual gameplay. More awards, results, and recognition should stem from the displayed performances throughout the event in question.
Relying on certain sticking points just for the sake of doing so ultimately does more harm than good. Results and performances need to speak for themselves. Ankalaev outperformed Pereira. The Russian fought through the leg kicks and kept his opponent at bay more often. He outstruck his counterpart and then had the decisive advantage in the secondary and tertiary criteria of ring control and effective aggressiveness.
Pereira would have had a case for effective defense but didn’t then follow up his efforts with effective counterattacks. The UFC 313 decision landed on the correct final call and shows that anyone deserving of a win can earn the victory, even against fan protests and echoing boos throughout an arena.
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