Magomed Ankalaev shares three-word reaction to Islam Makhachev's praise for UFC 313 title glory

Magomed Ankalaev has responded to Islam Makhachev after the latter praised the former for joining him among the ranks of UFC titleholders. UFC 313 saw Ankalaev emerge as the new light heavyweight champion after putting on a comprehensive performance against Alex Pereira, who was previously unbeaten in the weight category.

Ankalaev's countryman and fellow UFC champion Makhachev was among those impressed by Ankalaev's performance, and the lightweight kingpin took to his personal X account to convey that. Makhachev said:

"Another belt goes to Dagestan, Russia. Congratulations brother @AnkalaevM. Excellent performance."

The newly minted champion responded to Makhachev, stating:

"Thank you champ"

Check out the exchange between Magomed Ankalaev and Islam Makhachev post-UFC 313 below:

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Magomed Ankalaev breaks a record that Islam Makhachev previously had

Magomed Ankalaev is just days away from cementing himself as a UFC champion, but he is already setting records. The recent record he set came just two days after his championship victory and saw him usurp the aforementioned Islam Makhachev.

The 32-year-old kingpin of 205 pounds set a new high water mark that will presumably excite the UFC's social media. The promotion's digital media team frequently posts the moment a fighter gets the belt wrapped around their waist, and Makhachev's January title defense generated a clip of 19.1 million views when the strap was placed upon him.

That was the high water mark for title wrapping videos in 2025 until recently. That being said, the belt wrapping moment for Ankalaev from Saturday night's win over 'Poatan' has already generated well over 26 million views as of early this morning on Instagram.

While some within the MMA community speculated on what could be next for Alex Pereira, who many see as the biggest active attraction in the sport today, it would seem like Ankalaev is quite the star in his own right based on this digital media metric, at least.

Speaking of the former champion, the native of Russia has also revealed to media sources in his home country that negotiations are already underway with the UFC to establish an immediate championship rematch against Alex Pereira.