Magomed Ankalaev has been waiting for a second crack at becoming light heavyweight champion. He gets that chance when he faces superstar champion Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 313 on Saturday.
Pereira moved up to light heavyweight one fight after losing the middleweight title in his rematch with Israel Adesanya. It only took two fights for Pereira to claim the light heavyweight crown, which he has successfully defended three times since. Ankalaev has been seen as Pereira’s toughest fight in the division and hungry to win the title after a UFC 282 fight with Jan Blachowicz for the vacant belt ended in a draw.
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.
The rest of the main card features more lightweights and a women’s strawweight contest. The…
