UFC 313 touches down inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday, with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira leading the way.
Pereira has broke out as the UFC’s biggest star at the moment, with the future of Jon Jones and Conor McGregor very much up in the air. With “Chama” catching on and his stone-faced demeanor in fights, Pereira has become much more than the simple foil to Israel Adesanya he was brought into the UFC to be. The 2024 Fighter of the Year had an incredible campaign last year with three finishes and three title defenses, and starts 2025 facing off with a challenger many have wanted to see him face for over a year: Magomed Ankalaev.
Against Ankalaev, Pereira is expected to see his takedown defense tested. Certainly far more thoroughly than against opponents like Khalil Rountree Jr. or Jamahal Hill. Yet the fight is critical as more than just another title defense for “Poatan.” A win opens the door to super-fights both inside and outside of the UFC, with match-ups against Dricus Du Plessis and Jon Jones possible. Even a boxing match with Oleksandr Usyk is a possibility, if a remote one.
On Thursday, Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev, along with Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev, were on hand for the UFC 313 pre-fight press conference. That gets underway at 8PM ET, 5PM PT. Watch it unfold in the live stream embedded above.
