Alex Pereira will finally defend his UFC light heavyweight title against surging Russian contender Magomed Ankalaev when the two strikers meet at UFC 313 on March 8 from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The light heavyweight title fight was announced during the ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast of UFC 311 (results HERE).
This matchup has been in the making for quite some time. Pereira would have likely met Ankalaev sooner if the Russian fighter would have defeated Jan Blachowicz for the title back at UFC 282. Unfortunately, Ankalaev fought Blachowicz to a draw and has been trying to claw his way back to a title shot ever since.
As for Pereira, he’s been one of UFC’s biggest stars over the past two years and turned in an incredible 2024 campaign that saw him go 3-0 with three knockouts and three title defenses. Anakalev is just about the only contender left that “Poatan” hasn’t defeated so fight fans are eager to see the matchup play out. They’ll finally get their wish this March in “Sin City.”
In addition to the light heavyweight title fight, UFC 313 will feature a lightweight barn burner between former title challenger Justin Gaethje and fan favorite Dan Hooker. It will be the first time Gaethje is fighting since his brutal knockout loss to Max Holloway back at UFC 300. As for Hooker, he’ll look to continue his recent resurgence that has led to a three-fight win streak.
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