“Who got power now thank you for all my haters you motivate me.” Magomed Ankalaev wrote on X after his emphatic title triumph at UFC 313. Moreover, the Dagestani has firmly cemented his place as the best light heavyweight in the world. The new division kingpin delivered an absolute masterclass against Alex Pereira, making the fearsome ‘Poatan’ appear timid and reluctant to engage throughout their 205lbs title showdown. With that dominant victory, Ankalaev not only claimed gold but also earned a significant personal achievement — one that carries immense national pride for his home of Dagestan.
For the unversed, Ankalaev is now only the third UFC champion to come from Dagestan, joining the prestigious ranks of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. In recognition of his achievement, Dagestan’s Head of the Republic, Sergey Melikov, awarded Ankalaev the ‘Order For Merit to the Republic of Dagestan,’ the highest civilian honor in the Russian region. This accolade further solidifies Ankalaev’s place among Dagestan’s MMA legends and marks a historic milestone in his career.
“Your victory is a merit for the republic, which, thanks to you, our athletes, is known, respected, and sometimes even feared by our rivals. And not only in the ring, on the mat, in the Octagon. But also where rivals turn into enemies. Let everyone know what strength and potential we have. And how we can always respond to attacks on our country.” Melikov told Ankalaev at the official ceremony.
The light heavyweight champ, who isn’t much for words, had a pretty respectful and standard response, as you would expect in a situation like this. “I am very pleased to receive such attention. It is worth a lot, and I appreciate it. It gives me motivation to continue moving forward and achieving high results. I will try my best to show myself from the best side so that children take only good examples from me,” ‘Big Ank’ said.
And amid all the celebrations and honors coming his way after the Pereira victory, Ankalaev didn’t forget to thank the man who started it all! Let’s see what the champ had to say.
Magomed Ankalaev thanks Khabib Nurmaogomedov for being a trailblazer
Needless to say, Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov were stoked at Ankalaev’s victory. Their team isn’t really very close with ‘Big Ank’, which is why neither man was at UFC 313 to watch him take the belt. However, the Dagestani duo was quick to congratulate Ankalaev. “Another belt goes to Dagestan, Russia. Congratulations brother. Excellent performance,” Makhachev wrote on X.
And ‘The Eagle’ wasn’t far behind. “Another belt goes to Dagestan, Russia. Congratulations brother. Excellent performance,” Nurmagomedov wrote. This prompted the light heavyweight champ to give Nurmagomedov his due credit for paving the way for him and countless other Dagestani mixed martial artists. “Thank you, my brother, you began the way for us,” Ankalaev wrote.
March 8, 2025, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: MAGOMED ANKALAEV 21-1-1, 1 NC of Teletl, Russia defeats ALEX PEREIRA 12-3-0 of SoÂo Paulo, Brazil by unanimous decision 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 during UFC 313 at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Las Vegas USA – ZUMAo117 20250308_zsp_o117_029 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
This statement is completely accurate! Before Nurmagomedov’s utter dominance in the lightweight division in the 2010s, few people in the MMA world even knew what Dagestan was. Not to mention the remote Russian province wasn’t producing too many world-class MMA fighters, either, with wrestling and sambo being seen as the only game in town.
But after Nurmagomedov became a global superstar, MMA exploded in popularity among the Dagestani youth. The seven-time national, and three-time world amateur MMA champ Ankalaev was among the first wave of Dagestani fighters to become mixed martial artists. Safe to say that Nurmagomedov’s legacy is in safe hands at the moment. What do you think about Magomed Ankalaev being awarded Dagestan’s highest civilian honor?
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