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. Which 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. 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. 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.
