Fight Coverage
Significant Stats | UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev
Preview The Key Matchups Of The Top Three Fights At UFC 313 By The Numbers
(All stats according to UFC’s Record Book as of March 5, 2025, and only include active athletes in their respective division unless noted otherwise)
Main Event: Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev
Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira | Top Finishes
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Alex Pereira | Top Finishes
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Key Stats: 63.1% significant strike accuracy (4th all-time), 4 (light heavyweight) title wins (tied 3rd all-time among LHW), 1.44 knockdowns averaged per 15 minutes (6th all-time among LHW)
What It Means: “Poatan” is a beautifully devastating balance of knockout artist and technical kickboxing savant. While he has the power to put anyone’s lights out with a single strike, Pereira often breaks his opponents down with intention and technique. He loves to score early and often with his quick leg kicks, and he can hit them with either leg. He also likes to plant a jab to his opponent’s body to not only maintain range but to set up his devastating left hook. He mixes in high kicks with frequency as well, whether it’s with his right leg, left leg off the switch or front kick up the middle.
Magomed Ankalaev
Key Stats: 6 KO/TKO wins (tied 4th all-time among LHW), 28.3% control time percentage (6th), 31.3% takedown accuracy (7th)
What It Means: Ankalaev is a precise, exacting and powerful striker who has very little wasted movement in his approach from a southpaw stance. He is meticulous in breaking down opponents, and manages distance very well. He can wrestle, although the only time he shot for a takedown in his last six fights came against Jan Błachowicz after absorbing several leg kicks. Otherwise, Ankalaev is a standup fighter.
Order UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev
What to Look For in the Fight: The general consensus is that Ankalaev will need to mix in wrestling on Pererira if only to mix things up and prevent the champion from getting too comfortable on the feet. All other signs, however, point to a standup bout between these two. Pereira will need to find his range quickly. A slow start like the one he had against Rountree Jr. won’t serve him very well against Ankalaev, who has the frame to more easily reach Pereira. Body shots and low leg attacks will serve as a good indicator to which man is finding his rhythm more comfortably. Both have the power to change the fight with a single shot, as well.
Co-Main Event: Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev
Justin Gaethje
Key Stats: 59.2% significant strike accuracy (2nd all-time among LW), 6.78 strikes landed per minute (6th all-time among LW), 13 total fight night bonuses (5th all-time among LW),
What It Means: For all of Gaethje’s eye-popping feats in the Octagon, his technical ability can sometimes find itself underappreciated. He can get a little overexcited and wing wild (but powerful) overhands and hooks, but when he keeps things tight, Gaethje has all the tools to destroy his opponents. He keeps a high guard, and he has a great ability to counter with either a right uppercut or left hook, but his offense always starts with a low kick. He can connect with either leg from distance or up close, and they often have devastating results. When he gets into the clinch, he tends to dirty box more than anything, but he can mix in an elbow off the break, as well.
Rafael Fiziev
Best Mic Moments | Rafael Fiziev
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Best Mic Moments | Rafael Fiziev
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Key Stats: 4.9 strikes landed per minute, 51% striking accuracy, 11:41 average fight time
What It Means: A wicked explosive athlete, Fiziev’s striking is blurry-fast and shatteringly powerful, and beyond all that, he is smart and technical in his approach. Fiziev likes to switch stances often, and he appears to have the same bag of tricks out of either orientation. He really likes to whip kicks to the body to start or end combinations with thudding hooks in the middle, and he varies his targets well. Once he gets his offense going, he enjoys feinting kicks to come up top with hooks, and he has a good sense of timing with standing knees.
What to Look For in the Fight: In their first fight, Fiziev caught some success early because of his speed advantage. He used it to attack Gaethje’s midsection often with kicks and knees, and he was able to tag Gaethje a couple times when Gaethje went into a defensive, crouched posture. However, Gaethje adjusted and was able to muck up the fight a little bit, wear on Fiziev and drain that explosive gas tank. From there, Gaethje found a lot of success with a heavy jab and, of course, his low kicks. Gaethje might be well-served to get on both those weapons early and drain away the real estate between he and Fiziev, so Fiziev’s footwork will come into play, as he needs to maintain distance.
Other Fight to Watch: Jalin Turner vs Ignacio Bahamondes
Jalin Turner
Key Stats: 0.98 knockdowns averaged per 15 minutes (8th all-time among LW), 7:39 average fight time (10th shortest), 5.6 strikes landed per minute
What It Means: Turner is a puzzle of limbs in the lightweight division, and when he can maintain range, he has a wonderful knack of keeping his opponents on the end of his punches. “The Tarantula” has good low kicks and jabs, and he builds his offense from there. He is a bit more effective when he is on the front foot, as opposed to when he is backed up to the fence, but he has power in either scenario.
Ignacio Bahamondes
Key Stats: 7.12 strikes landed per minute (4th all-time among LW), +2.13 striking differential (6th all-time among LW), 0.93 knockdwons averaged per 15 minutes (10th all-time among LW)
What It Means: “La Jaula” continues to find his feet in the lightweight division. With his height and length, his ability to fight long continues to improve, but he is also adept at fighting inside the pocket. From distance, Bahamondes has a wide array of kicks he likes to use to the body, legs and head of his opponent. His boxing is pretty smooth on the inside, and he has shown the ability to pull his opponent into counters.
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What to Look For in the Fight: Both Bahamondes and Turner make good use of their length against other lightweights, but that factor goes up in the air with both men facing someone with a more similar frame to them than usual. Turner is probably the faster between the two, and Bahamondes likes to hang out in the pocket a little bit more. Turner will have to keep a high activity level to kind of squash Bahamondes’ kicking game while also maintaining his own range for long-distance attacks.
UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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