UFC is back home in Las Vegas on Saturday night with one of the best matchups the promotion can make at the title level. Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is set to defend his crown against top contender Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313. It all goes down from the T-Mobile Arena.
Pereira was a top candidate for 2024 Fighter of the Year after knocking out Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. in the span of 176 days. Those challengers, all primarily strikers, had a mountain to climb against former two-division Glory kickboxing champion Pereira.
Many deem Ankalaev a well-rounded fighter capable of presenting the champion with new challenges, particularly in the wrestling department. Ankalaev previously fought Jan Blachowicz to a majority draw for the vacant light heavyweight title. He’s undefeated in 13 consecutive fights since tapping out to a Hail Mary submission by Paul Craig in the final second of his UFC debut.
The co-main event sees a high-level rematch between top strikers after Dan Hooker was forced to withdraw with a hand injury. Justin Gaethje is set to take on Rafael Fiziev at lightweight with a ton at stake. Gaethje is coming off of one of the most devastating knockouts of all time at the hands of Max Holloway in 2024. Fiziev has not been seen since suffering a brutal knee injury in 2023 that forced him into a TKO loss to Matuesz Gamrot. The winner will be well positioned for another big fight in 2025.
“I fell into a tendency to not move forward as much as I should in this sport,” Gaethje told CBS Sports ahead of UFC 313 on Saturday. “If you look at the champions, they’re moving forward 70 or 80% of the time. I think that has to be implemented if you want to be successful in this sport. Through Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev, I found success in being safer. Ultimately, that’s not the answer.”
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 313 along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.
UFC 313 fight card, odds
- Alex Pereira (c) -120 vs. Magomed Ankalaev +100, light heavyweight title
- Rafael Fiziev -155 vs. Justin Gaethje +130, lightweights
- Ignacio Bahamondes def. Jalin Turner -130 via first-round submission (arm triangle)
- Amanda Lemos def. Iasmin Lucindo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Iasmin Lucindo -140 vs. Amanda Lemos +120, women’s strawweights
- Mauricio Ruffy def. King Green via first-round knockout (spinning back kick)
- Joshua Van def. Rei Tsuruya via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Brunno Ferreira def. Armen Petrosyan via second-round submission (armbar)
- Carlos Leal def. Alex Morono via first-round knockout (punches)
- Mairon Santos def. Francis Marshall via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ozzy Diaz def. Djorden Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC 313 info
- Date: March 8
- Location: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 313 countdown
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