The championship bout between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev is confirmed as the main event for UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 8. Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line, while Ankalaev makes his second attempt to become champion.
Riding a five-fight winning streak, Alex Pereira makes the fourth defense of his 205-pound belt. The 37-year-old champion from Brazil won three fights in 2024 by way of stoppage, eliminating Khalil Rountree Jr., Jiri Prochazka, and Jamahal Hill.
Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) defeated Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous decision and stopped Johnny Walker in the second round of their rematch. In late 2022, the 32-year-old fought Jan Blachowicz to a split draw in a bout for the vacant title.
The Pereira vs Ankalaev clash was confirmed as the UFC 313 main event during the UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano broadcast over the weekend. Also confirmed is a co-main event featuring Justin Gaethje up against Dan Hooker at lightweight.
Former interim UFC 155-pound champion Gaethje (25-5) lost his symbolic “BMF” belt by knockout in the fifth round against Max Holloway last April. In 2023, the 36-year-old native of Safford, Arizona knocked out Dustin Poirier in the second round and took a majority decision against Rafael Fiziev.
Hooker (24-12) of New Zealand defeated Mateusz Gamrot by split decision last August and recorded the third straight victory. Last October, the 34-year-old was rumored to face Conor McGregor, but the bout didn’t materialize.
Among the recently reported but yet to be confirmed bouts, Myanmar’s Joshua Van (12-2) faces Brazilian Bruno Gustavo da Silva (14-6-2, 1 NC) at flyweight.
The current UFC 313 lineup is as follows:
- Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev – Pereira’s UFC light heavyweight title
- Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker
- Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
- Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Joshua Van
- Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall
- Ozzy Diaz vs. Djorden Santos
- Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal
- Armen Petrosyan vs. Brunno Ferreira
- Jhonata Diniz vs. Vitor Petrino
- Chris Gutierrez vs. Jean Matsumoto