Tom Aspinall didn’t hold back on fans who believe Alex Pereira deserved the nod on the judges’ scorecards at UFC 313.
Alex Pereira‘s UFC light heavyweight title reign came to an abrupt end at UFC 313 as Magomed Ankalaev dethroned him by unanimous decision. It was Pereira’s first light heavyweight loss of his MMA career, snapping a five-fight unbeaten streak.
Ankalaev’s rise to the top of the UFC light heavyweight division was questioned by some fans and pundits after UFC 313. While it was a back-and-forth fight from start to finish, a vocal pack of fans believed Pereira, and not Ankalaev, deserved to get the nod and retain the light heavyweight championship belt.
Tom Aspinall kept a close eye on UFC 313 and is perplexed by the reaction of some fans to the Pereira vs. Ankalaev scoring.
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Photo by Ian Maule/Getty ImagesTom Aspinall questions fans’ perception of Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev scoringDuring a recent interview with Jamal Niaz, Aspinall reacted to some viewers scoring UFC 313 in Pereira’s favor.
“I can’t believe people watch that fight and thought that Pereira won, it was just wild to me how many uneducated fans are out there,” Aspinall said. “And how many uneducated fans out there thought it was a boring fight as well, I thought it was an amazing fight. Both guys did good and I think that Ankalaev was just a lot better than him on the night, that’s it.”
Aspinall was then asked if Pereira’s move to heavyweight is off the table after UFC 313.
“He could do whatever he wants, he’s an absolute megastar,” Aspinall said of Pereira. “So I think there’s fights to make at middleweight, light heavyweight, or heavyweight for him.”
Despite initially teasing a return to middleweight to take on Dricus du Plessis, Pereira is focused on a likely immediate rematch against Ankalaev later this year. A heavyweight move remains on the table if he gets his revenge against Ankalaev.
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Alex Pereira’s chances against Jon Jones endorsed despite UFC 313 defeatDespite the loss at UFC 313, Chael Sonnen believes Pereira has a higher chance of beating Jon Jones in a potential heavyweight clash after showcasing elite takedown defense. A common narrative surrounding a Jones vs. Pereira fight would be how Pereira would deal with Jones’s elite grappling, but Sonnen thinks that narrative is now firmly squashed.
If Pereira was victorious at UFC 313, he would’ve broken Jones’s light heavyweight record for the shortest time to achieve four consecutive successful title defenses. Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in 2020 to prepare for a full-time move to heavyweight.
Pereira entertained training together with Jones before superfight talks ramped up between the two sides. Now, Pereira has no plans to train with Jones anytime soon as he plots a future move to heavyweight.
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