It’s finally official: Alex Pereira will defend his title against the No. 1 contender at light heavyweight, Magomed Ankalaev. The long-awaited clash will headline UFC 313 on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In the co-main event, Justin Gaethje returns to face Dan Hooker in a pivotal lightweight fight that figures to be an all-out brawl.
The UFC made the fights official on social media:
Ankalaev is the most deserving challenger for Pereira. The 32-year-old Russian is on a 13-fight unbeaten streak and is ranked No. 1 in the light heavyweight division.
Most recently, Ankalaev took a unanimous decision over Aleksandr Rakic in October 2024 to lock in this opportunity. When it comes to ranked light heavyweight competition, Ankalaev has already defeated six fighters who were ranked at the time of the fight.
Stylistically, Ankalaev presents a unique challenge for Pereira. The challenger’s ability to throw a heavy wrestling attack at the champion could potentially pose Pereira—a natural kickboxer—a problem.
Pereira has seemingly been working feverishly to close the gap in that area of his game. If Ankalaev elects to wrestle, we’ll find out how far Pereira’s wrestling and takedown defense have come.
Pereira has had 10 fights in the UFC, and he’s 9-1. He’s already won a championship in two divisions, and he scored a fourth-round KO win over Khalil Rountree Jr. in October 2024 in his last fight.
Poatan has risen to be one of the UFC’s biggest stars, and every event he tops feels special. That said, the co-main event has the potential to be special as well.
Gaethje hasn’t fought since he was knocked out cold at UFC 300 by Max Holloway in April 2024. He’s well-known for his all-action style, and most expect to see that personified against Hooker.
After enduring a tough five-fight stretch that saw him go 1-4, Hooker has rebounded with three consecutive wins. Most recently, Hooker took a split-decision win over Mateusz Gamrot in August 2024.
There were rumors Hooker was going to face Conor McGregor at some point in 2025, but like almost every rumor associated with the latter, nothing came to fruition. The fight with Gaethje is a great one, and it could propel Hooker into a title fight if he wins.
As of January 20, here is a look at the confirmed card for UFC 313:
- Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev – UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (205 lbs)
- Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker – Lightweight (155 lbs)
- Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo – Strawweight (115 lbs)
- Bruno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Ozzy Diaz vs. Djorden Santos – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal – Welterweight (170 lbs)
- Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall – Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van – Flyweight (125 lbs)
- Chris Gutierrez vs. Jean Matsumoto – Bantamweight (135 lbs)
There was a heavyweight bout scheduled between Jhonata Diniz and Victor Petrino, but the latter pulled out due to an injury, per AgFight.
The fight is expected to be rescheduled at a later time.
