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- What: UFC 313 Main Event
- Who: Alex Pereira Vs. Magomed Ankalaev
- Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
- Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
- Time: Early Prelims (6:00 p.m. ET), Prelims (8:00 p.m. ET), Pay-Per-View Card (10:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Early Prelims (ESPN+) Prelims (ESPN), Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
The next pay-per-view card on the UFC schedule, UFC 313, takes place on Saturday, March 8 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A title fight headlines the fight card. In that contest, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira puts his belt on the line against Magomed Ankalaev. Ankalaev enters the rematch as the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings, while Pereira is the No. 3 pound-for-pound UFC fighter. Before we look at the betting breakdown for the UFC 313 main event, here is some information on Pereira and Ankalaev.
Alex Pereira (12-2) is a former UFC middleweight champion. He claimed the UFC light heavyweight crown in his second fight at 205 pounds for the UFC with his win over Prochazka. Pereira defended that belt three times in 2024, scoring knockouts over former champs Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka. In his most recent win, Pereira knocked out Khalil Rountree Jr. in October 2024. Pereira has 10 knockout wins.
Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1-1) is 2-0-1-1 in his past four outings and is coming off an October 2024 decision win over Aleksandar Rakic. Ankalaev fought for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title in December 2022, but he and former champ Jan Blachowicz took that bout to a draw.
Before we look at the best bets for Pereira vs. Ankalaev on the UFC 313 PPV card, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find the best odds on all the UFC fights.
UFC 313 Main Event: Alex Pereira Vs. Magomed Ankalaev betting picks
| To Win UFC Light Heavyweight Title |  |  |  |
| Alex Pereira | -120 | -125 | -110 |
| Magomed Ankalaev | +100 | +105 | -116 |
UFC 313 Main Event: Alex Pereira betting breakdown
A former two-division Glory kickboxing champion, Alex Pereira entered the UFC with elite striking skills. Those abilities, and his history with Israel Adesanya under the Glory banner, earned him a quick title shot in the middleweight division. Pereira did not waste his opportunity, as he knocked out Adesanya to claim the 185-pound title. He gave the title back to Adesanya in his next outing. Pereira then moved up to the more natural weight of 205 pounds, where he claimed that division’s title in two UFC fights.
Pereira’s striking is top-notch. He has power and speed in his strikes. Especially noteworthy are Pereira’s calf kicks, which are devastating in their power but also nearly impossible to check because of how fast he throws those strikes. The champ often goes to the legs, landing 25 percent or more of his total strikes in three of his past four fights to his opponent’s legs. Those heavy leg strikes, which he throws early and often, serve to set up his power strikes to the head.
If Pereira has a weakness, it’s his grappling, and that is what has made the betting odds for his UFC 313 matchup against Ankalaev so tight.
Pereira averages 5.46 significant strikes landed per minute with an accuracy of 63 percent. He absorbs 3.44 significant strikes per minute with a defense rate of 55 percent. Pereira’s takedown accuracy is 100 percent, but he’s only attempted one takedown, which came in 2022 against Israel Adesanya. Pereira’s takedown defense is 70 percent.
UFC 313 Main Event: Magomed Ankalaev betting breakdown
Magomed Ankalaev is not the most exciting fighter on the UFC light heavyweight roster. Ankalaev takes a measured approach in everything he does. He has a wide stance on the feet and uses that stance well as a kickboxer. He uses range well, and he has power in his kicks and punches, but where he excels and where he wants to get the fight is on the mat. In his five-round matchup against Blachowicz, he had more than nine minutes of control time in the final two rounds. However, he only generated 28 significant strikes in those two rounds and picked up zero submission attempts. He can mix up his striking attacks on the feet, and his defense is good, but he is best at slowing things down and controlling the action on the mat.
Ankalaev left his comfort zone in his most recent outing. Against Aleksandar Rakic, Ankalaev only shot one takedown. He moved forward, mixed up his striking targets and techniques, and seemed to impress the UFC matchmakers enough for them to give him his shot at UFC gold. It won’t be a surprise to see Ankalaev return to his ground-heavy style against the champ at UFC 313. After all, it’s his best route to a win.
Ankalaev averages 3.64 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 52 percent. His striking defense is 58 percent, and he absorbs 2.37 significant strikes per minute. As for his takedowns, Ankalaev earns 0.92 per 15 minutes with an accuracy of 31 percent. His takedown defense is 86 percent.
Best Bets: UFC 313 main event – Alex Pereira Vs. Magomed Ankalaev
Alex Pereira doesn’t seem like much of a mystery. He’s a heavy-handed striker with limited grappling skills, but outside of Israel Adesanya, who is another elite striker, no one has been able to beat him under the UFC banner. Pereira has the kind of power and timing that can stop any foe, and it’s hard to see Magomed Ankalaev negating that power over 25 minutes.
The betting pick is for Alex Pereira to beat Magomed Ankalaev via knockout in the main event of UFC 313.
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