UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will battle #1-ranked contender Magomed Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 313. The five-round title fight will take place on Saturday, March 8, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pereira (12-2-0) has tallied four consecutive victories, including a pair of impressive wins over former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. The reigning 205-pound champion earned a technical knockout win over Khalil Rountree Jr. in his last outing at UFC 307.
Ankalaev (20-1-1) is a former light heavyweight champion of World Fighting Championship Akhmat. The Russian is undefeated since dropping his UFC debut seven years ago and picked up a unanimous decision over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308.
In the co-main event, #3-ranked Justin Gaethje (26-5-0) will clash with #6-ranked Dan Hooker (24-12-0) in a highly anticipated matchup. Gaethje suffered a fifth-round knockout loss to Max Holloway in his previous fight 11 months ago at UFC 300, while Hooker posted a split decision victory against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.
Pereira (-125) is the favorite to retain his light heavyweight title against Ankalaev (+105), per BetMGM sportsbook. Fans can place bets on this highly anticipated fight through UFC betting sites and sportsbooks, with odds reflecting a closely contested matchup.
The challenger is an ultra-talented fighter who poses the biggest threat to Pereira's championship reign. However, the titleholder has notched five straight wins and is ranked #3 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Pereira is a tactical and patient fighter who picks his shots and adjusts his strategy seamlessly during fights. The 37-year-old has ended 83 percent of his fights with knockouts and 17 percent via decisions.
The Brazilian champion lands 5.46 significant strikes per minute with a stellar 63 percent striking accuracy. However, he averages just 0.14 takedowns per 15 minutes with an accuracy rate of 100 percent. Pereira also successfully defends 70 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts.
Ankalaev is a combat sambo fighter with a reputation as a powerful striker. The 32-year-old has finished 55 percent of his fights with knockouts and 45 percent via decisions.
The Dagestani contender averages 0.92 takedowns per 15 minutes with an accuracy rate of 31 percent and boasts an effective takedown defense that foils 86 percent of attempted takedowns. Ankalaev lands 3.64 significant strikes per minute with a 52 percent striking accuracy.
Despite defending his title three times in six months in 2024, Pereira actually requested to fight Ankalaev last spring and relishes the challenge of fighting the top contender.
"He's as dangerous as any other fighter I've fought," Pereira said. "Looking at him, the way that he fights, he's an ordinary guy. Of course he has his weapons, he has his dangers, but I've been training hard. I've evolved a lot, and I'm ready for him."
Ankalaev opened as a slight favorite to dethrone the champion and is confident he can become the next light heavyweight champion.
"I never wanna hurt someone in my life like I want to hurt Alex," Ankalaev posted on social media. "He is a fake humble boy."
Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier believes that Pereira can cement his legacy as an all-time great with a victory over Ankalaev.
"This dude's the man, and if he gets through this next challenge, if he gets through Ankalaev, I'm going on the record and saying that light heavyweight is going to have a 'Poatan' problem for a really long time."
Betting Pick: Pereira
Betting odds for this light heavyweight championship fight are live on popular NY sportsbooks, including BetMGM, which has tabbed Pereira as the favorite. The most common bet type for this UFC fight is the money line, a wager on who will win the fight outright.
Considering how the Brazilian champion has scored knockouts in his previous four fights, Pereira is the favorite to defend his belt successfully. However, the Russian challenger is a formidable opponent that has not tasted defeat since 2018.
Pereira is our pick to win the matchup and a $100 wager on the reigning champion at odds of -125 would net a total payout of $180.
If you fancy the underdog and feel confident that Ankalaev will notch the upset, a $100 wager at odds of +105 would net a total payout of $205.
The Over/Under bet is another popular type, where you wager on the number of rounds the fight will last. Given that both fighters have not gone the distance in more than two years, we do not expect the fight to end in the early rounds. Thus, betting over 3.5 rounds could be a winning pick.
The five-round light heavyweight championship fight will take place on Saturday, March 8, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC fans in New York can watch the fight live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is the favorite to retain his title opposite #1-ranked Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Pereira is a -125 betting favorite, while Ankalaev is a +105 underdog, per BetMGM.
A lightweight battle between #3-ranked Justin Gaethje (26-5-0) and #6-ranked Dan Hooker (24-12-0) will serve as the co-main event. Other matchups include a lightweight clash pitting #13-ranked Jalin Turner (14-8-0) against Ignacio Bahamondes (16-5-0), a heavyweight contest with #5-ranked Curtis Blaydes (18-5-0) squaring off against Rizvan Kuniev (2-0-0), a lightweight encounter with King Green (32-16-1) facing Mauricio Ruffy (11-1-0), a flyweight matchup between #13-ranked Bruno Silva (14-6-2) and #15-ranked Joshua Van (12-2-0), and #5-ranked Amanda Lemos (14-4-1) will tangle with #7-ranked Iasmin Lucindo (17-5-0) in a women's strawweight contest.
Bets can be placed during the fight as it is happening with live UFC odds that are constantly changing based on what's happening real-time inside the Octagon. The most popular types of in-play bettings are moneyline wagers representing the odds for who will win the fight outright. Other live betting types include the method of victory and how long the fight will last.
UFC fans can place various bets on this intriguing light heavyweight title fight at BetMGM, a respected and well-known sportsbook in New York.
