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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev
Laying Out The Lineup For This Weekend’s Massive Pay-Per-View At T-Mobile Arena
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
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.
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.
Light Heavyweight Championship Main Event: Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev
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.
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.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev
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.
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.
Jalin Turner vs Ignacio Bahamondes
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.
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.
Amanda Lemos vs Iasmin Lucindo
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.
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.
King Green vs Mauricio Ruffy
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.
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.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Curtis Blaydes vs Rizvan Kuniev
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.
Joshua Van vs Rei Tsuruya
Talented, young flyweights cross paths here as Joshua Van lines up opposite Road to UFC winner Rei Tsuruya.
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.
Brunno Ferreira vs Armen Petrosyan
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 vs Carlos Leal
Alex Morono looks to halt a two-fight skid when he takes on Brazilian sophomore Carlos Leal in this welterweight preliminary card pairing.
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.
Mairon Santos vs Francis Marshall
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.
Djorden Santos vs Ozzy Diaz
Intriguing DWCS grad Djorden Santos takes on former LFA champ Ozzy Diaz in this combustible middleweight pairing.
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.
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