Alex Pereira to defend title against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, Justin Gaethje v Dan Hooker also on Las Vegas card
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Published 20/01/2025 at 11:11 GMT
The main event at UFC 313 in Las Vegas will see Alex Pereira take on No. 1 ranked contender Magomed Ankalaev in a light heavyweight title fight. Pereira defended his title three times in 2024 but could face his sternest test against Ankalaev, who is unbeaten in his last 13 fights. The card in Las Vegas also sees Justin Gaethje take on Dan Hooker in a lightweight contest in the co-main event.
Alex Pereira
Image credit: Getty Images
Alex Pereira will make his fourth UFC light heavyweight title defence against No. 1 ranked contender Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Pereira, 37, most recently defended his title with a knockout win against Khalil Rountree Jr in October.
Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 13 fights and is coming off victories over Aleksandar Rakic and Johnny Walker.
The fight was announced during UFC 311, where lightweight champion Islam Makhachev submitted late-replacement Renato Moicano in the main event.
Reacting to the fight reveal, Pereira told ESPN: "I did say that I wanted to take a break, but I start training again, I start feeling good.
"I start seeing my evolution. So I call my managers right away and I say, ‘I wanna fight. I wanna fight in March. I wanna fight Ankalaev.’
"I know he keeps saying that I’m just an employee of the UFC, I fight whenever they want. But I asked for him. I told them when I wanna fight."
Pereira went 3-0 in 2024 with three knockouts and three title defences.
The co-main event at UFC 313 in Las Vegas is a lightweight battle between Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker.
Gaethje is aiming to bounce back from defeat to Max Holloway in April, while Hooker has won his last three fights in a row.
Gaethje said recently that he was eager to get back into the Octagon after his late defeat to Holloway.
"Coming off a knockout, I’m really excited to get back to training," he said on his official YouTube channel.
"When you take a loss like that, as competitive as we are, then it lights a fire under your a** and we’re getting back to work."
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