Alex Pereira defends his UFC light heavyweight title for the fourth time at UFC 313 when he gets in the octagon against No. 1 ranked contender Magomed Ankalaev. The Russian Ankalaev has accused Brazil’s Pereira of avoiding him, leading to the champion retorting that he may make the former light heavyweight challenger the laughingstock of MMA. Alex Pereira has become a UFC superstar since transitioning to MMA from kickboxing. His impressive title defenses at 205 notwithstanding, the bookmakers price the fighters equally, taking note of Magomed Ankalaev’s 13-fight run without a defeat.
Bet on Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev with 1xBet
MMA: UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Where to Watch: PPV
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: 09.03.2025 06:30
Alex Pereira
An explosive fourth-round TKO of Khalil Rountree Jr. last October handed Alex Pereira his fifth straight victory and third successful title defense. The former UFC middleweight king has finished his last four opponents, including the November 2023 championship fight with Jiri Prochazka, when “Poatan” claimed the vacant UFC light heavyweight title with a second-round TKO. The 37-year-old former Glory kickboxing light heavyweight champ has 10 fights in the UFC since a 2021 debut. Six of those fights have been championship bouts, either at middleweight or 205 pounds. His only loss was a 2023 KO defeat to former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who claimed back the 185-pound gold he earlier lost to Pereira.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 37
- Height: 6’4”
- Reach: 79”
- Weight: 205lbs (93kg)
- Record: 12-2
This fight is the one that I’m looking forward to… This is potentially, stylistically, a bad matchup for Alex Pereira. But Ankalaev has gone out these saying he is going to strike with him. Fair enough, strike with him. That would be great. But don’t forget to make him think about the takedowns as well. That is where the success is going to come.
Magomed Ankalaev
Russian Magomed Ankalaev enters the octagon on a two-fight streak after beating Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakic last year. The 32-year-old KO’ed Johnny Walker in their rematch early in 2024 after their October 2023 bout ended in a no contest following an accidental illegal knee that rendered Walker unable to continue. Ankalaev started his career in combat sambo and amateur MMA. He contested for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title in 2022 at UFC 282 against Jan Blachowicz, with the match ending in a draw. Ankalaev’s sole professional loss was to Paul Craig while making his UFC debut. The Russian dominated Craig but was caught by a triangle choke, which Craig exacted to the full to grab the unlikely win.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 32
- Height: 6’3”
- Reach: 75”
- Weight: 205lbs (93kg)
- Record: 19-1-1 (NC)
Ankalaev is f*cking very dangerous, and he’s the No. 1 contender, and he’s been on a winning streak for a long-ass time. He’s only got one draw, and that was to Jan Blachowicz, who was the former champion. So, he’s at the top of the heap, and he’s been waiting for a title shot for a long time. But he’s been talking a lot of sh*t, and Alex doesn’t like that he talks sh*t.
Betting Odds
Bet365 has both Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev at 1.909 odds each. Betway has both fighters at 1.82 odds. On 1xBet, the 2way has the combatants at 1.89 odds. Read more here.
Bet on Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev with 1xBet
