Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev Prediction on March 8, 2025

Match info

In the main event of UFC 313 for mixed martial arts (MMA) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on Saturday, March 8, Alex Pereira will make his comeback to the Octagon to defend his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev. The bout will start at around 9 p.m. local time.

At the moment, Pereira is the reigning champion, while Ankalaev is ranked first. Even though the Brazilian is the belt holder, he starts as the UFC gambling sites’ underdog against the Russian, who’s said to be his most difficult opponent to date.

Meeting statistics

The current form of Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira sprang up on the UFC scene unintentionally, and he ended up becoming a true star of the show. The story progressed quickly after he abruptly decided to try his hand at MMA in 2015. He had previously been the champion of the top kickboxing league, Glory, where he had battled alongside Israel Adesanya and Artem Vakhitov.

Following just four MMA bouts, Pereira was invited to the UFC, where he proceeded to knock opponents out one by one while also wrapping up the tale with Adesanya and winning the middleweight and light heavyweight titles. Naturally, he’s now the division’s top puncher and a three-time winner who ruthlessly eliminated the competition in each of his championship defenses.

We can’t remember any other champion who went out to defend belts with such zeal as Pereira, who fights frequently and never backs down. He quietly prepares for battles, carries out his strategy with clarity, and is in top competitive form right now.

The current form of Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev started his fighting career in Dagestan with Greco-Roman wrestling before transitioning to MMA and combat sambo, where he won the amateur world championship. After working as a professional since 2014, he defeated Maxim Grishin to win the WCFA league in 2016.

Ankalaev’s 2018 UFC debut ended in a heartbreaking loss; he outlasted Paul Craig for the entirety of the bout but surrendered in the final seconds. After that, things improved: 10 straight victories, a draw with Jan Błachowicz for the vacant title, and two more victories. Naturally, the Russian fighter currently tops the standings and has long since won the opportunity to face Pereira.

Ankalaev’s grappling is outstanding, and he excels in every facet of the fight. His somewhat casual promise to beat Pereira on the feet raises some concerns, but to be honest, we won’t be shocked if he does.

Head-to-head

These two fighters have never met in the Octagon.

Match analytics

This is one of the most anticipated UFC bouts this year. Ankalaev poses a serious threat to the Brazilian. Pereira can endure a lot of punches without hesitation because he has a rock-hard head. He can inflict even stronger ones; however, the defense of the Russian fighter shouldn’t be overlooked. Nobody disputes Pereira’s abilities, and even though he’ll try to disprove his skeptics in what looks like a high-stakes fight, we believe it’s 60 to 40 in Ankalaev’s favor.

Tip: W2 In Round 4-5 Or On Points, with odds of 3.1 on Helabet.