Alex Pereira’s first fight of 2025 is set.
The highly active UFC Light Heavyweight Champion will return on March 8th against long-time contender Magomed Ankalaev, as announced by the promotion on Saturday night. The bout will serve as the main event for UFC 313 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The booking sees Pereira look to end one of the light heavyweight division’s longest undefeated streaks.
Ankalaev hasn’t faced defeat since 2018 when he dropped his UFC debut to Paul Craig. He has since gone on an impressive run of 11 wins and one draw, getting him past numerous highly experienced names in the division and moving him up to the first-place spot on the contender rankings.
The well-rounded skillset of Ankalaev—which includes strong striking abilities along with a background in Greco-Roman wrestling and Sambo—could provide an interesting test for Pereira, who has mainly found himself in stand-up battles since moving up to the 205-pound limit.
The Russian 32-year-old previously received a shot at the belt back in late 2022, although the then-vacant title remained without a holder after his five-round clash against Jan Blachowicz ended in the rare split draw outcome. Now just over two years later—and after wins over Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakic in 2024—his second chance at the belt has finally emerged.
Pereira is returning following an incredibly busy opening 12 months as light heavyweight champion. After claiming the title with a second-round finish against Jiri Prochazka in November 2023, the Brazilian kickboxer returned in 2024 to stop Prochazka again, beat Jamahal Hill within a round, and take Khalil Rountree Jr. into deep waters for a finish.
If successful in March, Pereira will join a short list of past light heavyweight champs who were able to defend their title four times or more. Frank Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, and of course, Jon Jones are the only past names who have achieved such excellence in the weight class. Soon, Pereira might be included in the same discussion.
It was announced Saturday that fan-favorite strikers Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker will meet in the co-main event of UFC 313 for a five-round clash.
The matchup will be Gaethje’s first appearance since suffering a buzzer-beater knockout loss to Max Holloway as part of UFC 300 last year. The long-time contender at lightweight returns still ranked third in the weight class, a position he will look to defend against the lower-placed Hooker.
New Zealand’s Hooker has been on the rise over the past few years, putting together a three-fight winning streak since late 2022. The upcoming matchup—his first five-round booking since 2020—sees him look to follow up on his August win over former KSW champ Mateusz Gamrot.
Here’s an updated look at UFC 313, which with 10 fights in total is still a work in progress:
Bout 10: Alex Pereira (12-2) vs. Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1) (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 9: Justin Gaethje (25-5) vs. Dan Hooker (24-12) (Lightweight)
Bout 8: Amanda Lemos (14-4-1) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (17-5) (Strawweight)
Bout 7: Bruno Ferreira (12-2) vs. Armen Petrosyan (8-4) (Middleweight)
Bout 6: Ozzy Diaz (9-3) vs. Djorden Santos (10-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 5: Alex Morono (24-11) vs. Carlos Leal (21-6) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Mairon Santos (14-1) vs. Francis Marshall (8-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Bruno Silva (14-6-2) vs. Joshua Van (12-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Jhonata Diniz (8-1) vs. Vitor Petrino (11-2) (Heavyweight)
Bout 1: Chris Gutierrez (21-5-2) vs. Jean Matsumoto (16-0) (Bantamweight)
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