FIGHT BY FIGHT PREVIEW | UFC 313: PEREIRA VS ANKALAEV
Through the first two pay-per-view events of the year, champions have retained their titles in all four pairings, with Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili defending their belts at UFC 311 before Dricus Du Plessis and Zhang Weili followed suit last month in Sydney at UFC 312.
Saturday night in Las Vegas, the most active champion of the last several years, Alex “Poatan” Pereira, puts his light heavyweight title on the line against streaking challenger Magomed Ankalaev in what many believe is the toughest stylistic matchup to date, on paper, for the dominant Brazilian titleholder.
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Before those two hit the Octagon to close out the show, a host of new names, ascending talents, and established contenders will file in two-by-two to wage battle against one another, with the potential for excitement extremely high.
The best fight card of the year so far is only a couple days away from going down, and we’ve got all the details on each of the pairings collected for you here in the latest edition of the Fight-By-Fight Preview.
Main Event: Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev
Location: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas, NV
Where to Watch: ESPN+ / Disney+ / ESPNews / UFC Fight Pass
Other Main Card Matches:
Prelim Matches:
Alex Pereira seeks his fourth consecutive successful title defense while Magomed Ankalaev looks to prove his superiority as the two men square off with the light heavyweight title hanging in the balance to close out UFC 313 this weekend at T-Mobile Arena.
Each time we detail Pereira’s efforts inside the Octagon, it becomes increasingly more ridiculous to recognize just what he’s achieved in such a relatively short amount of time. The 37-year-old titleholder is 9-1 overall, including a perfect 5-0 in the 205-pound ranks, having claimed titles in two weight classes and posted six wins over individuals that have held UFC gold at some point in their careers. Last time out, Pereira navigated early competitive waters in his bout with Khalil Rountree Jr. before putting away the challenger in the fourth round.
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Ankalaev has been waiting in the wings for the last year, handling the assignments that have been placed in front of him with aplomb while simply biding his time, certain that he would eventually land opposite the champion. The 32-year-old from Dagestan is unbeaten in his last 13 fights, having won consecutive contests last year against Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakic to cement his standing as the top contender in the light heavyweight division.
What makes this matchup so compelling to so many people is the belief that if anyone is going to be able to take Pereira down and neutralize his considerable weapons by controlling him on the canvas, it’s Ankalaev. While that could very well prove to be the case, it’s worth noting that the challenger is more Umar Nurmagomedov than Khabib Nurmagomedov, preferring to mix his weapons, utilize his kicking game, and wrestle when needed, rather than crashing forward and mauling people on the ground.
This is a fascinating pairing that could play out in stages, depending on how deep into the fight we get, and the tensions should be high from the outset, just like they are every time Pereira marches menacingly into the Octagon.
From a must-see original pairing to a can’t-miss sequel, the co-main event now features Justin Gaethje taking on the returning Rafael Fiziev in a rematch of their entertaining UFC 286 clash in London.
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Gaethje, who was initially paired with Dan Hooker in a five-round fight, competes for the first time since his night at UFC 300 was ended in stunning fashion by Max Holloway. He looked outstanding in his two fights before that, claiming the BMF title in a win over Dustin Poirier following his first encounter with Fiziev, and has been the most consistently entertaining fighter on the roster since arriving in the promotion nearly eight years ago.
Fiziev eagerly agreed to step up when Hooker was injured, returning to action for the first time since suffering a knee injury in his main event pairing with Mateusz Gamrot in September 2023. A potential title challenger in the 155-pound weight class, this will be an excellent way to gauge whether the 31-year-old from Kyrgyzstan is ready to ascend to that level or still needs a little time to shake off the rust and work his way back into top form.
The first meeting between these two started out as a competitive affair before Gaethje pulled away down the stretch, with the third round standing as the only round the judges were unanimous on, with all three awarding the round to Gaethje, including one seeing it 10-8 in his favor. But three years hence, it’s going to be interesting to see how things have changed and where each man stacks up at the moment, and we should be in for an electric contest no matter what.
Staying in the lightweight division, Top 15 mainstay Jalin Turner looks to get things moving in the right direction again while Ignacio Bahamondes aims to punch his ticket to a place in the rankings in this sure-fire barnburner that serves as the featured bout of the evening.
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Currently stationed at No. 13 in the rankings, Turner comes into this one off a loss to Renato Moicano at UFC 300 and having dropped three of his last four. That being said, he quickly stopped King Green prior to his loss at last year’s tricentennial and landed on the wrong side of split decision verdicts in competitive, exciting bouts with Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot before that, which tells everything you need to know about where “The Tarantula” stands within the divisional hierarchy ahead of this one.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of 2020, Bahamondes touches down in Las Vegas having earned back-to-back first-round stoppage wins and consecutive Performance of the Night bonuses as well. Last time out, “La Jaula” stopped Manuel Torres at Noche UFC (UFC 306), pushing his record to 16-5 overall and 5-1 over his last six UFC appearances.
Because they’re both under 30 — Turner is 29, Bahamondes is 27 — it doesn’t feel as much like a “veteran versus prospect” battle, but in many ways it is, as Turner has a wealth of experience against top names, and represents a considerable step up in competition for the young Chilean. Constantly exciting individually, they should combine to deliver another electric contest on this weekend’s card.
It’s an all-Brazilian battle in the strawweight division when Amanda Lemos takes on Iasmin Lucindo on Saturday.
Poised to turn 38 in May, Lemos is at an interesting point of her career. Less than two years removed from challenging for the title and still stationed in the Top 5, the veteran split a pair of appearances last year and is angling to cement her standing as a dangerous threat to anyone looking to climb into the championship mix at her expense.
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Lucindo lands at the other end of the spectrum, having just turned 23 in January and forced her way into the Top 10 with her split decision triumph over Marina Rodriguez last year. She’s won four straight since dropping her promotional debut and has a tremendously bright future as a potential fixture in the title picture in the 115-pound weight class.
Saturday’s main card action kicks off in the lightweight division, as veteran King Green steps in against promising Brazilian Mauricio Ruffy.
Now 50 fights into his professional career, Green looks to get things moving in the right direction again after suffering a first-round submission loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304 in July. He looked sharp in his UFC 300 win over Jim Miller three months earlier and is the kind of well-rounded, experienced hand that should provide an outstanding gauge for where Ruffy stands within the division.
Representing the Fighting Nerds, Ruffy contributed a pair of wins to the team’s outstanding 2024 campaign, stopping Jamie Mullarkey in his impressive debut before edging out James Llontop in a competitive battle at UFC 309 in November. Touted by team leader Caio Borralho as the most talented member of the squad, this is an excellent opportunity for the DWCS Class of ’23 graduate to prove his middleweight teammate correct.
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This is the exact type of fight you want to see for a skilled fighter like Ruffy, and a great chance for Green to once again show his savvy and overall value as a competitor. There is no way this fight doesn’t kick off the pay-per-view in style.
Saturday’s preliminary card wraps in the heavyweight division with a fascinating pairing between Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kuniev.
A staple in the heavyweight title picture for the last several years, Blaydes looks to rebound from his interim title fight loss to Tom Aspinall last summer, while cementing his standing as one of the best the division has to offer at the same time. Kuniev is a member of last year’s DWCS graduating class and a tremendously intriguing addition to the division, brandishing a 13-2-1 record with one no contest, and carrying a chance to instantly inject himself in the title discussion with a victory in his promotional debut.
Talented, young flyweights cross paths here as Joshua Van lines up opposite Road to UFC winner Rei Tsuruya.
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Van has been one of the most active fighters on the roster since arriving in the summer of 2023, posting a 5-1 record, including consecutive victories down the stretch last year that carried him into the Top 15. Unbeaten in 10 professional bouts and still just 22 years old, Tsuruya wrapped his Road to UFC tournament win in February, then followed it up with a unanimous decision victory over Carlos Hernandez at UFC 303 in June.
DWCS grads coming off stoppage losses meet in this middleweight fixture, as Brunno Ferreira takes on Armen Petrosyan.
“The Hulk” has gone 3-2 in his first five UFC starts, posting wins over Gregory Rodrigues, Phil Hawes, and Dustin Stoltzfus, but arrives in Las Vegas off a third-round submission loss to Abus Magomedov in October. Petrosyan, who earned his place on the roster a year before his opponent here, comes in looking to halt a two-fight skid, having been submitted by Rodolfo Vieira in February and knocked out by Shara Magomedov in October.
Alex Morono looks to halt a two-fight skid when he takes on Brazilian sophomore Carlos Leal in this welterweight preliminary card pairing.
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Now 36 fights into his professional career, the 34-year-old Morono opened his 2024 campaign with a win over Court McGee, but dropped back-to-back decisions to Niko Price and Daniel Rodriguez to fall to 1-3 over his last four. A former LFA champ, Leal dropped his short-notice debut to Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308, and looks to showcase his proper form with a full camp behind him here.
Promising featherweights Mairon Santos and Francis Marshall clash in what should be a wildly entertaining matchup early in the evening.
Santos won the featherweight tournament on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter last year, finishing Kaan Ofli in the second round to advance to 14-1 overall. Competing for the first time in over a year back in August, Marshall halted a two-fight skid with a hard-fought split decision victory over Dennis Buzukja.
Intriguing DWCS grad Djorden Santos takes on former LFA champ Ozzy Diaz in this combustible middleweight pairing.
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Santos earned his place on the roster with a unanimous decision win over Cage Warriors vet Will Currie last September, pushing his winning streak to five. Diaz jumped on a short-notice opportunity up a division in November, catching hands from Zhang Mingyang in Macau.
Don’t miss a moment of UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. Prelims start at 8pm ET/5pm PT, while the main card kicks off live on PPV at 10pm ET/7pm PT.
TUF Alum, UFC Vet, And MMA Coach Eliot Marshall Shares His Views On Saturday’s Light Heavyweight Main Event
The All-Action Rematch At UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev Also Plays A Crucial Role In The Lightweight Title Picture
Changes To UFC 314, Scheduled For March 8 In Las Vegas
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Light Heavyweight Championship Main Event: Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev
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Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev
Jalin Turner vs Ignacio Bahamondes
Amanda Lemos vs Iasmin Lucindo
King Green vs Mauricio Ruffy
Curtis Blaydes vs Rizvan Kuniev
Joshua Van vs Rei Tsuruya
Brunno Ferreira vs Armen Petrosyan
Alex Morono vs Carlos Leal
Mairon Santos vs Francis Marshall
Djorden Santos vs Ozzy Diaz
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UFC 313: Expert picks, best bets for Pereira vs. Ankalaev
The UFC’s most active champion makes his first Octagon appearance of 2025, as Alex Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPNEWS/ESPN+/Disney+ and early prelims at 6 p.m. on ESPN+/Disney+).
Pereira, ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter, has beaten his last four opponents by knockout. Most recently, he scored a fourth-round TKO over Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. Ankalaev, ESPN’s No. 2-ranked light heavyweight, enters the fight riding a 13-fight unbeaten streak dating back to September 2018.
In the co-main event, fan favorite Justin Gaethje takes on Rafael Fiziev in a rematch of their March 2023 fight, which Gaethje won by majority decision. Fiziev took this fight on short notice, after Gaethje’s original opponent, Dan Hooker, was forced to withdraw due to injury on Feb. 25.
Andreas Hale spoke to MMA analyst and former UFC welterweight Alan Jouban to get his perspective on the UFC main event. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight and analysis on the main event and other intriguing bets he likes on the card.
Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
How Pereira wins: He must use his range and educated striking to find the damaging shots, like he did against Rountree. The key will be leg kicks. Jan Blachowicz damaged Ankalaev’s legs on both sides, and Blachowicz is not nearly as slick setting up those kicks as Pereira is. Despite being a skilled wrestler, Ankalaev has often failed to commit to wrestling, opting to stand and trade, which will put him right in line for Pereira’s leg kicks. If that happens, Ankalaev will be compromised by Round 3, if the fight lasts that long.
How Ankalaev wins: Don’t try to kickbox with Pereira in the center of the Octagon for 25 minutes. He could land something big to get the win, but that’s not ideal against a heavy hitter like Pereira. Ankalaev has to mix things up early in the fight and put Pereira against the fence. No one wants to do that against Pereira because of the chance of getting caught with a big shot while coming in, but if he can avoid Pereira’s power, he could put Pereira against the fence and make him work. Eventually, he will have to use single-leg takedowns to get Pereira on the mat.
X factor: Cage grappling. It will be up to Ankalaev to close the distance and put Pereira against the fence. If Ankalaev is successful, he has a chance to win. If not, he’ll be in a lot of trouble.
Prediction: Pereira to win by knockout.
Odds accurate as of publication. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET.
Parker: Ankalaev to win (-105). I am a huge fan of Pereira, and he has cemented himself as an MMA legend, but stylistically, Ankalaev has the skills to match him on the feet and will have a huge advantage if this fight goes to the ground. I’m taking the slight underdog. As long as Ankalaev can avoid the early leg kicks from Pereira, he has more ways to win, and even where Pereira might be better, it’s not by much.
Fiziev to win (-170). In their first fight, Gaethje won a close decision, but I’m not overly confident the same result will occur. Fiziev is the better striker, and it’s not even close. However, Gaethje’s striking volume might have gotten him the nod on the scorecards. Gaethje has a wrestling background but never uses it and he is coming off of a brutal KO loss in his last fight. Assuming this will be a three-round standup fight, give me Fiziev at the current odds.
Bahamondes to win (-125). This should be a fun striking battle. Turner is 1-3 in his last four fights and his last loss — a second-round KO against Renato Moicano at UFC 300 — was arguably his most disappointing. He now takes on a dangerous striker who is riding a two-fight knockout winning streak. I am confident this fight stays standing unless Turner tries to wrestle, as he has a good ground game. The odds say this is a coin flip of a fight, but, if this stays on the feet, Bahamondes will pick Turner apart throughout three rounds.
Petrosyan to win (-155). If Petrosyan can avoid the power and takedown attempts of Ferreira, he will win this fight. Petrosyan has good takedown defense and is a much better striker. He also rarely makes mistakes. On the other hand, Ferreira tends to get reckless. Take Petrosyan to bounce back and get in the win column.
Jokic makes history as the first player to post a 30-point, 20-rebound, 20-assist triple-double. (2:29)
DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 31 points, 21 rebounds and a career-high 22 assists and the Denver Nuggets outlasted the Phoenix Suns 149-141 in overtime Friday night after losing a 21-point lead.
Jokic became the first NBA player with a triple-double of at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists. He tied his team record with his 29th triple-double of the season, stretching his career total to 149. It was also the seventh time this season that Jokic had at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a game, tied with Oscar Robertson (1961-62) for the most in a season in NBA history.
Jokic’s 22 assists were also an NBA record for a center.
“Nikola Jokic is one of one,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I mean, the first player to ever have a 30, 20, and 20 game. I can’t describe him, so don’t ask me to. The guy is just an incredible player, and when you are one of one in this league and the tremendous history of this league, that says a lot. And there’s a lot of good players in this league, but Nikola, in my opinion, is just in a class well by himself.”
Aaron Gordon made a career-high seven 3-pointers and had 27 points for Denver. Kevin Durant scored 29 points for Phoenix, hitting a 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer to send it into overtime.
Jokic opened the extra period with a floater in the lane to spark a 7-0 run. The Nuggets led by 11 after Christian Braun’s dunk and layup with 51 seconds left.
Three nights after overcoming a 23-point deficit to beat the LA Clippers 119-117 at home, the Suns trailed 85-64 in the third and cut it to 102-91 heading into the fourth. They went ahead 122-120 in the final minute, but Denver answered and took a 125-122 lead on Braun’s 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left.
Devin Booker scored 16 of his 34 points for the Suns in the fourth quarter, but was scoreless in overtime. Mason Plumlee had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Light heavyweight: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev
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Alan Jouban, MMA analyst and former UFC welterweight
Betting analysis
Lightweight: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Lightweight: Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
UFC 313 ODDS, PICKS: MMA ANALYST RELEASES PICKS FOR PEREIRA VS. ANKALAEV AND OTHER MATCHUPS FOR MARCH 8 SHOWCASE
Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defends his title Saturday in the main event of UFC 313 against top-rated challenger Magomed Ankalaev. The main card is set for 10 p.m. ET from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pereira is a -130 favorite (risk $120 to win $100), while Ankalaev is priced at +100 (risk $100 to win $100) in the latest MMA odds for UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev. Before making any UFC 313 picks, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani.
Vithlani is a highly analytical UFC bettor who has been a consistent winner for SportsLine members since making his debut in January 2023 with a 5-0 record for UFC 283. In fact, he’s up over $1,500 on his UFC main card picks!
His other highlights include calling an upset for Sean O’Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as part of a 4-1 main card, and his UFC 299 winners included underdog selections on Dustin Poirier (+190) against Benoit Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) against Kevin Holland (-130). Anyone who has followed him could be way up.
This week at UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev, we can tell you Vithlani is backing Bruno Ferreira (+125) vs. Armen Petrosyan (-150) in a middleweight matchup on the preliminary card.
He’s also backing a fighter whose “punsihing low kicks have been highly effective” to earn a MASSIVE VICTORY! You ABSOLUTELY need to see his UFC 313 picks before making any of your own!
Who wins Pereira vs. Ankalaev, and which fighter is a MUST-BACK? Join SportsLine now to see which fighters you need to be all over, all from the expert who profited more than $1,500 on UFC main-card picks!
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UFC 313 odds, picks: MMA analyst releases picks for Pereira vs. Ankalaev and other matchups for March 8 showcase
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