The UFC 313 event on March 8, 2025, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas features Alex Pereira defending his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev, who aims to become the champion after a long undefeated streak. Pereira, following his knockout victory over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, seeks to solidify his reign. The co-main event showcases Justin Gaethje rematching Rafael Fiziev, amid Gaethje’s impressive knockout history and Fiziev’s return from injury. The fight card also includes other notable matchups, with prelims airing on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass, kicking off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: (L-R) Competitors Alex Pereira of Brazil and Magomed Ankalaev of Russia … [+]
This Saturday, March 8, the UFC is set to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the UFC 313 fight card. The main event features Alex Pereira defending his UFC light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev, who many consider Pereira’s toughest challenge yet. In the co-main event, Justin Gaethje will face Rafael Fiziev in a rematch that was arranged on short notice. Here’s everything you need to know about the UFC 313 fight card happening tonight.
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 Fight Card – Alex Pereira Vs. Magomed Ankalaev
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Alex Pereira of Brazil appears on stage during the UFC 313 press … [+]
Alex Pereira (12-2) began 2023 with a loss of his UFC middleweight championship to Israel Adesanya via knockout. In July, he rebounded by defeating former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz in his debut at 205 pounds. He concluded the year with a knockout win against ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka at UFC 295, claiming the vacant 205-pound title.
Pereira successfully defended his title for the first time in April, knocking out another former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill, in the first round of UFC 300. He demonstrated his significant striking power, finishing Hill just over three minutes into the first round.
In June, on very short notice, Pereira was called to headline UFC 303 alongside Procházka after the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler match was canceled.
Following his knockout victory 13 seconds into the second round, I noted:
“Pereira proved his initial win over Prochazka was no fluke. The UFC light heavyweight champion is an intimidating competitor with formidable striking power, combined with an impressive focus that keeps distractions at bay.
“Pereira effectively delivered two knockouts that night, flooring former champion Jiri Prochazka with a strike at the end of the first round, then sending him crashing to the mat again early in the second round with a head kick.”
In August, the UFC secured Pereira for a main event matchup against Khalil Rountree Jr at UFC 307 on October 5, where Pereira showcased his skills and ultimately secured a TKO victory in the fourth round.
Pereira defended his UFC title for the third time in 2024 on Saturday night. He tactically allowed Khalil Rountree Jr. to exhaust himself early in the fight while effectively targeting Rountree’s lead leg with powerful kicks. In the third round, he increased his offensive pace, utilizing his jab to inflict damage and cut around Rountree’s eye. Once Rountree showed signs of fatigue, Pereira methodically picked apart his opponent until the referee, Marc Goddard, called a halt to the contest in the fourth round, with the stoppage potentially overdue.
Pereira emerged as a contender for the 2024 Fighter of the Year award.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Magomed Ankalaev of Russia is spotted on stage during the UFC 313 press … [+]
Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1-1) has been part of the UFC roster since 2018. He suffered a loss in his UFC debut when Paul Craig submitted him at 4:59 of the third round. Since then, Ankalaev has gone on a remarkable 13-fight unbeaten streak.
Ankalaev earned the chance to compete for the title in December 2022 against former champion Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight title. However, the match ended in a split draw, and neither fighter impressed the UFC matchmakers enough to earn a rematch for the belt.
Following that, Ankalaev holds a record of 2-0-0-1, including a no contest (illegal knee) against Johnny Walker, wrapping up with a recent decision victory over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308.
When the UFC chose to have Pereira face Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 instead of Ankalaev, he felt overlooked and was particularly driven to prove himself.
“Now everyone knows I’m not fighting for the title; I’ll face Rakic in Abu Dhabi. Whoever (UFC matchmaker) Mick Maynard assigns to me, I will dominate, making it impossible for them to continue denying me if I perform well. I pity whoever steps into the ring with me from now on,” Ankalaev remarked at that moment.
Shortly thereafter, Ankalaev claimed that Pereira was avoiding a matchup with him.
On Saturday, Ankalaev will finally have the chance to challenge Pereira.
Check out our betting analysis for UFC 313.
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 Fight Card – Justin Gaethje Vs. Rafael Fiziev 2
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Justin Gaethje appears on stage during the UFC 313 press conference at … [+]
When Justin Gaethje (25-5) entered the UFC in 2017, he boasted an undefeated record of 17-0. Prior to joining, Gaethje held the World Series of Fighting lightweight title and defended it five times. All six of his title bouts in WSOF ended by way of knockout.
His UFC debut took place in July 2017 against Michael Johnson in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 25 finale. The fight garnered high expectations, and Gaethje delivered, achieving a second-round TKO victory over Johnson, earning both “Fight of the Night” and “Performance of the Night” bonuses for a fight that ranked highly in 2017’s “Fight of the Year” polls.
Since then, every UFC battle involving Gaethje has been met with eagerness, leading to one of the most entertaining fighting styles not only in the UFC but throughout MMA. While Gaethje may not win every fight, he consistently seeks stoppage victories to enthrall the audience. His 12 fight-night bonuses across 12 UFC appearances bear testament to this.
Gaethje secured the interim UFC lightweight title in May 2020 with a knockout win against Tony Ferguson. However, he was unable to unify the championships, losing to then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov by submission later that year. He faced another setback in May 2022 when he fell to Charles Oliveira by submission while vying for the vacant 155-pound title.
Bouncing back from that disappointment, Gaethje claimed a majority decision victory over Fiziev at UFC 286, a contest that saw both fighters awarded “Fight of the Night” accolades. His most recent victory was a “Performance of the Night” bonus fight against Poirier.
With 20 career knockouts, one submission win, and four victories by decision, the BMF champion has suffered three knockout losses and two by submission throughout his career.
Gaethje recently fought in a 2024 fight-of-the-year nominee, suffering a KO loss at UFC 300 to Max Holloway. He currently ranks as the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Rafael Fiziev of Kazakhstan is seen on stage during the UFC 313 press … [+]
Rafael Fiziev (12-3) made his UFC debut in 2019. By that point, he held a 6-0 record with all six victories ending in stoppage (five knockouts and one submission), with the majority finishing in the first round. His first fight in the UFC concluded in just 86 seconds when he fell to a spinning back kick from Magomed Mustafaev, who had been inactive for over two years.
Fiziev rebounded from his first career defeat, embarking on a six-fight unbeaten streak that saw him climb the rankings, starting with a victory over Alex White in October 2019 and culminating with a knockout win against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in July 2022. During this stretch, he earned five fight-night bonuses.
Due to his impressive performance, Fiziev attained the No. 6 ranking within the official UFC standings, leading to a match against Gaethje in the co-main event of UFC 286. Fiziev was favored at -230 against the +195 underdog Gaethje.
The two engaged in a striking contest that captivated the London crowd, with Gaethje ultimately securing the majority decision victory. In his next fight, Fiziev met Mateusz Gamrot in a UFC Fight Night main event, but the bout ended abruptly when Gamrot achieved a TKO victory as Fiziev fell to the canvas while attempting a kick.
Fiziev has been sidelined since suffering an ACL tear during that bout, despite being cleared for competition in September 2024. Nonetheless, he remains ranked No. 11 in the official UFC lightweight rankings.
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 Fight Card
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 PPV Card
Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev
Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
King Green vs. Maurício Ruffy
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 Preliminary Card
Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya
Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 Early Preliminary Card
Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall
Chris Gutierrez vs. John Casteneda
Djorden Santos vs. Ozzy Diaz
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 Date
Saturday, March 8, 2025
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 Fight Card Location
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
UFC Tonight: UFC 313 Fight Card Time
Early Prelims (6:30 p.m. ET), Prelims (8:00 p.m. ET), PPV Card (10:00 p.m. ET)
UFC Tonight: UFC 312 Fight Card How to Watch or Stream
Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass, ESPN+), Prelims (ESPN, ESPN+), PPV Card (ESPN+ PPV)
Stay tuned for ongoing coverage of the UFC 313 fight card, including results, reactions, and recaps from tonight’s event.