"Belal has some competition now" - Fans react as Magomed Ankalaev expresses amusement over fan backlash following his win over Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev has finally won the light heavyweight title, but his UFC 313 performance has been openly reviled by MMA fans on social media. This prompted the newly-crowned 205-pound king to share his thoughts on the matter and the prevailing narrative that he is a boring fighter.

For much of his career, Ankalaev has been accused of having a boring style, and Ankalaev has expressed confusion over the notion. He doesn't quite grasp why the fans have seemed so displeased with his fighting style as of late.

"I don't understand why people think that my fights are boring. Everybody thought that Alex Pereira, coming into this fight, was the most exciting striker in this division, and then you saw the way he fought against me. It seems as though when people come out to fight against me, they all of a sudden become boring."

Check out Magomed Ankalaev's retort to the MMA fandom:

While Ankalaev does have flashes of excitement from time to time, like his knockout of Johnny Walker, he is frequently criticized for his conservative fighting style. Moreover, he has a large number of decisions, with half of his wins coming down to the judges' scorecards.

Thus, fans wasted no time in continuing to label him an uneventful fighter. In fact, one fan on X/Twitter even compared him unfavorably to reigning welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

"Belal has some competition now for the worst champ"

Others bemoaned the low activity rate often exhibited by Dagestani fighters.

"These guys are so low activity. Will fight one more time a year only."

Another fan brought up Ankalaev's stunning third-round submission loss to, of all people, Paul Craig.

"This guy lost to Paul Craig"

Some, though, returned to the boring rhetoric.

"The UFC boring champion era has begun lol"

A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:

Fan reactions to Magomed Ankalaev's performance

Ankalaev will be determined to prove his detractors wrong, especially as it seems that he is set to face Pereira in an immediate rematch next.

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This isn't the first Magomed Ankalaev title fight that's drawn criticism

At UFC 282, Magomed Ankalaev faced ex-divisional kingpin Jan Błachowicz for the then-vacant light heavyweight title. In a fight defined by Błachowicz's low kicks and Ankalaev's late wrestling rally, neither man won. The official result was declared a draw, and UFC CEO Dana White lambasted the bout.

"What are you gonna do? I think the main event was terrible. What are you gonna do?"

Check out Dana White's reaction to Magomed Ankalaev's draw at UFC 282 (0:23):

White even claimed to have zoned out after some time due to how boring he found the fight.