UFC 313 finds light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira facing his toughest test yet in dangerous Dagestani contender Magomed Ankalaev.
Since Ankalaev faced Jan Blachowicz for gold in 2022, a fight that ended in a lacklustre draw, fans have wanted to see him get another shot at the UFC’s 205lb title. Not so much because that fight was a robbery (there was an argument for an Ankalaev win, but the fight was anything but memorable), but because he’d consistently been the most deserving fighter in the division.
Since that time, Alex Pereira has taken over the 205lb weight class, defending his belt three times in 2024 alone, against ex-champs Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr.
If “Poatan” fends off Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, he’ll have made his case for any number of super-fights, with names like Dricus Du Plessis and Jon Jones in the mix. But beating Ankalaev will be no easy feat, as he represents the best wrestling Alex Pereira has seen to date.
Our picks are in for UFC 313, which includes Justin Gaethje rematching Rafael Fiziev in the co-main event. Here’s how we see Saturday’s fight card playing out.
| Writer / Fight | Green vs. Ruffy | Lemos vs. Lucindo | Turner vs. Bahamondes | Gaethje vs. Fiziev | Ankalaev vs. Ankalaev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Behunin (23-11) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Eddie Law (22-12) | |  | | | |
| Mathis Desjardins (20-14) | | | |  |  |
| Chris Prawdzik (19-15) | | | | | |
| Patrick McCorry (19-15) |  | |  | | |
| Jay Anderson (19-15) | | | | | |
| Brett Cagle (18-16) | | | | | |
| Dylan Napoleon (10-9) | | | | | |
| Cade Morehouse (5-4) | | | | | |
If anything stands out this week, its that there are no clean sweeps to be found. Our crew couldn’t come to a consensus on any single fight, though there are a couple of solid favorites: Mauricio Ruffy looks like a lock against King Green, for instance. Of course, Green has been counted out before, and is now one of the longest-serving veterans in the UFC.
Despite the obvious challenges Magomed Ankalaev presents to Alex Pereira in the main event, meanwhile, we’ve still got “Poatan” coming out on top, with the champ selected by seven of nine writers responding. The same margin can be found in the co-main event, with Justin Gaethje the heavy favorite. No surprise there, since Rafael Fiziev enters the fight on short notice, after being out for over a year.
