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The current biggest name in the sport of mixed martial arts is set to step foot into the octagon once again. Alex Pereira has been incredibly active during his light heavyweight run, and he will look to improve upon his all-time great UFC resume at UFC 313. Pereira's opponent is arguably his best since joining the 205-pound division, though, as he will square off with Magomed Ankalaev. So, in this article, we are going to detail everything that you need to know about UFC 313.
When and where is UFC 313?
UFC 313 is on Saturday, March 8. The early prelims will kick off the action at 6:30 p.m. ET. The prelims are then at 8 p.m. ET, and the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. The fights will be in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, Nevada, where T-Mobile Arena is the venue of choice.
How to watch UFC 313
As always, you will need to purchase a pay-per-view from ESPN+ in order to watch the main card. The early prelims can be caught on UFC Fight Pass, though, and the prelims are on ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPNEWS.
Date: Saturday, March 8 | Time: 10 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas, Nevada
How to watch: ESPN+ PPV (main card)
Odds: Pereira -122
UFC 313 fight card
Main card:
Light heavyweight: Alex Pereira (C) vs. Magomed Ankalaev, title bout
Lightweight: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Lightweight: Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
Women's strawweight: Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
Lightweight: King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy
Prelims:
Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Flyweight: Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya
Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
Welterweight: Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal
Early prelims:
Featherweight: Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall
Middleweight: Djorden Santos vs. Ozzy Diaz
Featherweight: Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda
Main event
The 2024 calendar year was a great one for Pereira. He headlined UFC 300 – with one of the most stacked fight cards ever – and won his first title defense with one of the knockouts of the year over Jamahal Hill. He then stepped up on short notice to collect another win at UFC 313, this time against Jiri Prochazka. Finally, he ended up victorious in a bloodbath against Khalil Rountree.
Three successful title defenses in one year had only happened six times before, and the 205-pounder from Brazil was named the Fighter of the Year because of it. Now, the 12-2 former Kickboxing champion is considered one of the greatest UFC fighters ever and most definitely one of the best active members of the promotion. What he has accomplished in such a short amount of time is truly impressive.
Pereira is known for his striking. The power of his calf kicks is unmatched, and his left hook has proven to be an all-time knockout punch. Pereira might have to bust out the grappling against Ankalaev, though. The fighter from Dagestan, Russia, like his comrades, thrives on the ground. He is a much better striker than he is given credit for, though.
Ankalaev is on a 13-fight non-losing streak. While he had back-to-back draws and no-contests against Jan Blachowicz and Johnny Walker that slowed down his run to another title shot (the Blachowicz fight was for the belt), Ankalaev hasn't technically lost since his UFC debut in 2018.
Main card
While everybody will be tuning into the main event to see Pereira, the co-main matchup is must-watch TV, too. Justin Gaethje is nicknamed ‘The Highlight' for a reason. He is one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC because of his aggressive striking and reckless approach. The former Baddest Motherf***** belt holder was originally supposed to take on one of the other standup kings in the UFC: Dan Hooker.
However, Hooker suffered a hand injury, and he was replaced by Rafael Fiziev. Fiziev is one of the only fighters who could replace Hooker without fans being upset. He is one of the best strikers in the company as well, so fans will be blessed with a slugfest. The two fought back in 2023 in a mixed decision win for Gaethje that was one of the best fights of the year.
Another sure-to-be-entertaining bout at lightweight is between Jalin Turner and Ignacio Bahamondes. Turner is becoming one of the gatekeepers of the 155-pound division, so this bout will be a test of where Bahamondes is really at. Likewise, Mauricio Ruffy will look to prove himself and potentially gain a ranking when he takes on the veteran King Green.
The lone fight in the women's division on the card is between Amanda Lemos and Iasmin Lucindo. Lemos is an aging veteran who has contended for the title before, whereas Lucindo is a young rising star.
Prelims
The biggest fight in the prelims takes place between the biggest fighters. Curtis Blaydes is the fifth-ranked heavyweight, and he fought for the Interim Heavyweight Championship the last time that he fought. Blaydes is arguably the best wrestler at heavyweight, and he will be taking on a Dana White's Contender Series standout who is making his UFC debut in Rizvan Kuniev.
The other ranked fighter in the prelims is Joshua Van. The 15th-ranked flyweight is taking on the undefeated Rei Tsurya (10-0).
