"49-46, what was that?" - Watch Israel Adesanya's real-time reaction and breakdown of Alex Pereira getting dethroned by Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313

Israel Adesanya's reaction to Magomed Ankalaev dethroning Alex Pereira to capture the UFC light heavyweight champion at UFC 313 suggested a prevailing fan reaction to the decision. The fight was competitive, with Pereira starting strong by targeting Ankalaev’s lead leg while the Russian adhered to a solid gameplan.

Ankalaev hurt Pereira at close range with a stinging combination in the closing moments of the second frame. The third round was a close exchange, with both fighters having their moments. In the championship rounds, Ankalaev imposed his grappling, controlling Pereira against the fence and wearing him down.

Although Pereira had a late surge in the fifth round, it wasn’t enough to sway the judges, who scored the bout 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 in favor of Ankalaev.

Adesanya provided live commentary during the fight with his reaction video, as he does for most UFC events. He acknowledged Pereira’s low-kicks and control improvements but questioned the 49-46 scorecard. Adesanya expressed surprise at the decision, believing Pereira had done enough to win.

Sharing his immediate thoughts on the fight, Adesanya said:

"Wow! 49-46? What was that? He [Ankalaev] dropped him, won that round 2. The holding, he didn’t really do much with the holding. What a stupid game we play... I had Alex winning. I have to watch it again or score the fight properly. The round two might have played a factor."

He added:

"But yeah, I think he’ll get a rematch. Pretty sure he gets a rematch. Spin the block, we out. Peace!"

Check out Israel Adesanya's reaction below:

---

Magomed Ankalaev accuses Alex Pereira of running in UFC 313 title fight

Magomed Ankalaev criticized Alex Pereira's performance following UFC 313. He accused the Brazilian of avoiding engagement throughout the fight.

He expressed frustration over Pereira’s movement in the post-fight press conference, claiming the former champion spent most of the fight retreating instead of engaging. He also insisted that he was the aggressor, constantly pressuring Pereira, stating:

"I was confident, I kept on moving forward, I kept on pressuring him and he kept on running away from me. For 20 minutes this guy was running away from me. And then I heard at the end of the fight he said he wasn’t sure why the victory wasn’t given to him. Who’s supposed to be given the victory? I was pressuring him the entire fight. He was running for 20 minutes, and then he’s wondering who’s supposed to get the victory? I’m happy to do a rematch if he wants a rematch but then maybe in the rematch he can fight for real and not run away the whole time."

Check out Magomed Ankalaev's comments below (3:00):