LAS VEGAS – Dana White doesn’t think the UFC 313 main event lived up to his expectations, but that doesn’t deter him from running it back.
In that main event, Magomed Ankalaev dethroned Alex Pereira to become champion. The unanimous decision decision was reached Saturday after 25 minutes of fighting at T-Mobile Arena.
“It was not what I expected,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I expected a lot more shooting. I expected a lot more exchanges.”
Despite being let down by the fight, White said he thought the correct combatant won.
“I don’t know if I had the exact score in my head, but I thought Ankalaev won the fight,” White said. “I wasn’t shocked when I heard the decision.”
The fight in many viewers’ eyes was not a barnburner by any means. It was tactical, and at times slow, with lack of volume and fence grinding contributing to the experience.
But given Pereira’s status as one of the sports biggest stars and a multitime defending champion – and the relative closeness off the contest – it seems White is leaning toward running it back in the immediate.
“Probably,” White said when asked about a rematch being next.
With the win Saturday, Ankalaev is 12-0-1 with one contest in 14 appearances since a promotional debut loss to Paul Craig. Pereira has a five-fight winning streak snapped and loses at light heavyweight for the first time.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.
