Magomed Ankalaev stumbled in his attempt to defend Dagestan’s honor today, falling short against former champion Alex Pereira in the Octagon. After a series of lukewarm cards, the UFC reignited the spark at Nevada’s T-Mobile Arena, delivering a night brimming with high-voltage action. The early prelims teased the crowd, but then four fighters stole the show on the preliminary card with thunderous knockouts, building anticipation for the co-main event between Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen, which went the distance.

Still, the night’s title headliner ultimately lit up the arena, delivering exactly what fans had come to see. Dagestan had been riding high this week, buoyed by Usman Nurmagomedov’s win, which reinforced the region’s iron grip on MMA. However, in just a few hours, Ankalaev

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