“Call It a Lucky Punch”: Magomed Ankalaev Refuses to Accept the Alex Pereira Loss

Magomed Ankalaev captured UFC gold by defeating Alex Pereira via unanimous decision in 2025.

However, Pereira reclaimed the title by avenging his loss with a first-round finish of Ankalaev. The Russian dismissed the victory as a lucky punch and has called for a trilogy fight.

Magomed Ankalaev on the Alex Pereira Loss

Magomed Ankalaev suffered a broken rib 20 days before his rematch with Pereira. He believes the Brazilian knew about his injury and thinks Pereira would not have rushed him otherwise.

“His business with me isn’t settled at all. You could call what happened a lucky punch. That’s how he beat me,” Ankalaev said in a conversation with Bostanov MMA.

“I think they knew I had some kind of injury. I don’t think any fighter had ever rushed at me like that before. If he hadn’t known I was injured, I don’t think it would have ended so quickly,” Ankalaev added.

Ankalaev has since bounced back with a fifth-round finish of Bogdan Guskov in July.

Can this Trilogy Happen?

Alex Pereira vacated his light heavyweight title and moved up to heavyweight in pursuit of becoming a three-division UFC champion.

However, he suffered a loss to Ciryl Gane in an interim heavyweight title fight. The Brazilian is now scheduled to face Sergei Pavlovich in December as he continues his pursuit of heavyweight gold.

Meanwhile, Ankalaev is eyeing a fight against former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, who has expressed interest in moving up to light heavyweight.

Given their current plans, a trilogy fight between Pereira and Ankalaev may have to wait. However, if both fighters achieve their respective title ambitions, a champion-versus-champion clash could eventually become possible.