UFC 313 start time, full fight card details | Pereira vs. Ankalaev

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is gearing up for its next pay-per-view (PPV) offering, as UFC 313 is set to go down later TONIGHT (Sat., March 8, 2025) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event will be a Light Heavyweight title fight as division champion, Alex Pereira, defends against top-ranked contender, Magomed Ankalaev. In the re-worked co-headliner, Justin Gaethje will rematch Rafael Fiziev in what should be a hard-hitting Lightweight affair.

What’s Hot:

UFC 313: Pereira v Ankalaev Ceremonial Weigh-In

Islam Makhachev might be the current best pound-for-pound fighter in the world according to voters, while Jon Jones should be the man to hold that spot, according to Dana White (for now). But, Pereira is without a doubt UFC’s biggest star at the moment. “Bones” competes sporadically and Conor McGregor is nowhere to be seen. Pereira has taken advantage of both men’s absence by competing on a consistent basis, winning titles in two divisions, Middleweight and Light Heavyweight, where he currently holds the belt. With another title defense, “Poatan” could very well earn the opportunity to become the promotion’s first-ever fighter to win a title in three separate divisions. But, we are putting the cart before the horse, because before any of that can happen the Brazilian bruiser has one major hurdle he must get through in the form of Ankalaev, the man many people believe has what it takes to dethrone him.

After getting off to a rough start in his UFC career thanks to an absolutely awful loss at the hands of Paul Craig in his debut, Ankalaev has rattled off 11 wins in the next 13 fights, with a draw and a “No Contest” sandwiched between. That’s good enough to put him the top spot at 205 pounds. And while he may feel the promotion doesn’t value him much, he’s earned the opportunity he has in front of him. With 10 knockouts and nine decision wins on his record, the only thing that has eluded him — aside from a world title — is a submission victory. Getting one against Pereira is unlikely because both men love to bang it out on the feet. But, that is a dangerous game to play against “Poatan,” who has taken out the best of the best on the feet. If it goes that route the champ has the advantage. Magomedov, however, will test Pereira’s grappling skills. And that is where things will get very interesting because, to date, no one has quite done that. But, Magomedov will have to get up close and personal to be able to do that, and in the process, he will likely have to eat a strike or three, which won’t bode well for him.

What’s Not:

isn’t a very good offering for a pay-per-view (PPV) event. And we cannot use the excuse of injuries and changes because, to be honest, there weren’t that many that altered this card all that much. UFC just hasn’t been stacking the deck early in 2025, which isn’t a good sign of things to come.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Dan Hooker was originally set to co-headline the card opposite Gaethje before an unfortunate hand injury forced him to the sidelines, paving the way for Fiziev to step in on short notice to take on “The Highlight” one more time. Bruno Gustavo da Silva and Joshua Van were expected to meet in a Flyweight bout on the “Prelims” before Silva pulled out for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Road to UFC Season 2 winner, Rei Tsuruya, who is undefeated at 12-0, including going 4-0 inside the Octagon. As for Van, he is 5-1 under UFC’s banner and on a two-fight win streak.

Also, Jean Matsumoto was set to face Chris Gutierrez at this event before he was yanked and setup to face Rob Font at UFC Seattle last month (a fight he lost). In turn, John Castaneda was pegged as his replacement. Castaneda is coming off a loss to Daniel Marcos nine moths ago, while Gutierrez is coming off a win over Quang Le.

Injuries:

Aside from “The Hangman’s” unfortunate setback, Vitor Petrino was forced to bow out of his scheduled bout against Jhonata Diniz because of lingering elbow issues. No replacement was found and Petrino was yanked from the card altogether.

New Blood:

Winner of five straight, Djorden Santos is set to make his official UFC debut after shining on Contender Series, defeating Will Curries via unanimous decision in Sept. 2024. “Shakur” is 10-1 overall as a professional, with his lone defeat coming five years ago. His first test inside the Octagon comes against Osman Diaz, who was last seen losing to Mingyang Zhang in what was his UFC debut. Rizvan Kuniev will make his Octagon debut coming off of Contender Series to take on former title challenger, Curtis Blaydes, in the featured bout of the the “Prelims.” He sits at 12-2-1 and is unbeaten in his last 11 fights. The former Professional Fighters League (PFL) contender does have a win over former champion, Renan Ferreira, but that was overturned after Kuniev tested positive for banned substances back in 2023.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Who did Curtis Blaydes piss off over at UFC headquarters? The big man does not belong on the undercard, in my opinion. He is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Tom Aspinall, but that was a Heavyweight title fight. To make matters worse, UFC is feeding him a dangerous Octagon newcomer in Rizvan Kuniev. If you are going to do that, at least put “Razor” on the main card because that big man brawl deserves the nod over at least three other fights currently on there.

Nevertheless, in Featherweight action, Mairon Santos will duke it out against Francis Marshall, who snapped his two-fight skid by defeating Dennis Buzukja via split decision late last year. That victory likely saved his UFC career because a third straight defeat would have probably sent him packing. As for Santos, the Brazilian bomber impressed in his UFC debut by defeating Kaan Ofli via knockout (see it again here), improving his record to 14-1 as a professional.

Armen Petrosyan will look to get back on track after losing back-to-back outings against Rodolfo Vieira and Shara Magomedov. Petrosyan has failed to win more than three straights fights inside the Octagon, so he needs to show the powers that be something against Brunno Ferreira — even in defeat — if he doesn’t want to end up on the chopping block. As for “The Hulk,” he is coming off a loss at the hands of Abus Magomedov, snapping his two-fight losing streak in the process.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

UFC 313: Pereira v Ankalaev Official Weigh-In

Alex Morono has been fighting inside the Octagon since 2016, but his UFC career hangs in the balance as he goes up against Carlos Leal because he is currently on a two-fight losing streak and is 2-4 in his last six fights. Miranda will make it tough for him to snap his funk, though, because “The Lion” is hungry for a win after “losing” to Rinat Fakhretdinov in his previous bout.

LIVE! Watch UFC 313 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE TILT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., March 8, 2025, with a high-stakes clash between 205-pound kingpin, Alex Pereira, defending his Light Heavyweight crown against formidable No. 1-ranked contender, Magomed Ankalaev, in the five-round main event. In UFC 313’s electrifying co-headliner from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lightweight fan-favorite and former interim champion, Justin Gaethje, will rematch the dynamic Rafael Fiziev in a three-round rematch, stepping in on short notice after Dan Hooker’s withdrawal due to injury. UFC 313 will also feature a hard-hitting Heavyweight battle between Curtis Blaydes and promotional newcomer, Rizvan Kuniev, alongside a Lightweight showdown with Jalin Turner facing Ignacio Bahamondes, and so much more! UFC 313’s start time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

Interest Level: 7.5/10

it was terrifying), and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Indeed, “Highlight” was viciously knocked out by Max Holloway in UFC 300’s co-main event back in April 2024 in what was one of the most memorable finishes ever (see it again here). Still, Gaethje is all-in on continuing his UFC career and rightfully so because he has plenty left in the tank and can turn his luck around in the blink of an eye — or snap of a punch. He will face a familiar foe in Fiziev, whom he defeated in mid-2023 via majority decision. Fiziev suffered a horrible knee injury in his comeback fight against Mateusz Gamrot in Sept. 2023 (see it again here), and now returns to remind everyone just how dangerous he is. The first fight was action-packed and I don’t expect anything different this time around. We may see more urgency from both men, though, since they each need a win in the worst way. I think this time around it ends in a knockout.

That’s odd matchmaking and fight placement. That said, Bahamondes is motivated to deliver another spectacular performance similar to the one he did against Manuel Torres at Noche UFC (see it here).

Winner of four straight, Iasmin Lucindo will attempt to go for five straight when she battles Amanda Lemos in women’s Strawweight action. Lemos is just 1-2 in her last three fights after jump-starting her career to a 7-2 record. Lemos is currently ranked No. 5, but Lucindo is eyeing her spot, as she currently sits at No. 7. This is a great fight between two women who can easily make a run at the title.

King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy. Green was last seen getting choked out by Paddy Pimblett last summer (see it again here), putting him at 1-2 in his last three fights. King has been fighting for the promotion for 12 years now, but has never been close to a title shot. That ship may have sailed, but he is still trucking along and trying to deliver fun fights. Against Ruffy, he will have a willing dance partner because he is currently on a six-fight win streak, 2-0 under UFC’s banner with five knockouts in his last six victories (sample here). A member of the up-and-coming “Fighting Nerds” fight camp, Ruffy — who some compared to Conor McGregor — has a golden opportunity in sight to up his stock by getting a huge win over an established veteran.

Full UFC 313 Fight Card:

ESPN+ PPV:

205 lbs.: UFC Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

UFC 313 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev 2 — (not Dan Hooker)
155 lbs.: Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Jalin Turner
115 lbs.: Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
155 lbs.: King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy

UFC 313 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

265 lbs.: Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
125 lbs.: Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya
185 lbs.: Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
170 lbs.: Carlos Leal vs. Alex Morono

UFC 313 Early ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Francis Marshall vs. Mairon Santos
185 lbs.: Djorden Santos vs. Ozzy Diaz
145 lbs.: Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 313 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 313: “Pereira vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.