- Tom Aspinall called those who saw Alex Pereira beating Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 “uneducated fans”
- Aspinall thought Pereira vs. Ankalaev wasn’t a boring fight
Tom Aspinall criticized the fans who were convinced that Alex Pereira beat Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313.
Tom thinks Ankalaev did a great job
Speaking to Jamal Niaz, the interim heavyweight champion got brutally honest about his take on Pereira vs. Ankalaev title fight. For Aspinall, it was clear that Ankalaev tactically defeated “Poatan,” who, on the other hand, failed to perform well by being too cautious of the takedowns.
Aspinall also argued that those who believed Pereira should’ve gotten the decision don’t truly understand the sport.
“I think Ankalaev just had him guessing a lot,” Aspinall assessed. “I think Pereira’s level on the ground, I don’t know what level he’s at, but I think he’s still a bit wary of getting taken down. He definitely defended the takedowns well but me with an educated eye watching it, I don’t think Ankalaev was really trying to take him down that much. He definitely tried a couple of times. I think he did 10 or 11 takedown attempts but I’d say only two or three of them he went full blast. I think the rest of the time he was just trying to tire him out with the grappling… So, I think, Ankalaev had the perfect game plan. He didn’t overcommit, tired him out.”
“I can’t believe people watched that fight and thought that Pereira won,” he added. “It was just wild to me how many uneducated fans are out there and how many uneducated fans thought it was a boring fight as well. I thought it was an amazing fight, both guys did good. But I think Ankalaev was just a lot better than him on the night. That’s it.”
Tom Aspinall on the Ankalaev vs Pereira fight:
“I can’t believe people watched that fight and thought that Pereira won.
It’s just wild to me how many uneducated fans are out there.”
🎥 @JamalNiaz #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/uyDxoHiECv
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 16, 2025
Pereira’s loss was a big upset
Many saw Pereira beating Ankalaev way before the two faced each other and they shocked to witness the Brazilian suffering an upset loss. Some say Pereira’s defeat to Ankalaev only proves that he is not ready for heavyweight yet as he lacks the power and strength to take on Aspinall and the biggest guys in the UFC.
As for the decision, Ankalaev was confident that he deserved the nod as he believed “Poatan” did nothing to beat him for the majority of the fight.
