Magomed Ankalaev thinks fans will come to love him.
Ankalaev captured his first world title on Saturday night, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 313 in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Ankalaev’s performance did little to earn him new fans. Throughout the five-round affair, the Dagestani largely relied on his takedown attempts and clinch work to grind out a win on all three scorecards.
Before, during, and after the fight, Ankalaev was booed relentlessly by the live crowd, but he thinks that’s simply because he beat one of the fans’ favorite fighters.