Alex Pereira questions MMA rules after Magomed Ankalaev loss at UFC 313: "They have to be there hurting"

Alex Pereira expressed disappointment with MMA scoring rules and urged for changes after suffering a decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313.

Pereira and Ankalaev squared off for the light heavyweight title on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The five-round back-and-forth battle went the distance, and the judges scored the bout (49–46, 48–47, 48–47) in favor of Ankalaev.

The decision was met with some controversy, as many argued that Ankalaev simply held Pereira against the cage while ‘Poatan’ inflicted more damage and deserved the victory. Many believe he won the first, third, and fifth rounds, including Pereira himself.

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Pereira expressed frustration at the result and said:

“I think we should change these rules. If a person puts another person on the fence, they have to be there hurting. But [Ankalaev] did nothing.”

Check out Alex Pereira’s comments below (via @acdmma_ on X):

Notably, Pereira and Ankalaev have both shown interest in a rematch in August. The light heavyweight champion revealed that he was offered the fight and agreed to it, stating that it's now up to the Brazilian star to accept.

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Alex Pereira addresses injury and fight camp struggles after UFC 313 loss to Magomed Ankalaev

In the abovementioned interview, Alex Pereira addressed reports that he fought Magomed Ankalaev with an injured hand and norovirus.

Pereira confirmed that his hand was fine and described his fight camp for Ankalaev as the hardest due to various obstacles. However, he refused to make excuses for the loss, saying:

"I'm not trying to take credit from Ankalaev, many people have tried to do that kind of thing and I'm not this type of guy... My hand is fine, but it did affect a lot of things. I don't wanna use that as an excuse... One of the more complicated fight camps that has ever happened... I do not regret [fighting] because I've motivated a lot of people. Many times I pushed through things, I was able to overcome... Many times it worked, this time was not my moment."

Check out Alex Pereira’s comments below: