UFC 313 FAQ: Any reason for concern over Pereira's preparation for Ankalaev?

Alex Pereira’s rise to mixed martial arts superstardom has been unlike anything the sport has seen this decade.

Not only did the former two-weight world kickboxing champion win an MMA title in just his fourth UFC fight, a mere year and six days after his debut in the organization, but “Poatan” has become a better and more dangerous version of that fighter since moving up from middleweight to the light-heavyweight division.

Now a two-sport, two-weight champion, Pereira will attempt to improve to 6-0 in the 205-pound weight class and pick up his fourth consecutive title defence when he faces Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 313 main event on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Ankalaev is unbeaten in his past 13 fights and, on paper, boasts a skill set that could potentially give Pereira the type of trouble the champion hasn’t often faced during his current winning streak.

Pereira narrowly got his hand raised in his first foray into the 205-pound waters when he won a split decision over former titleholder Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. Blachowicz, who hasn’t fought since coming up short against Pereira due to various injuries, was able to land one takedown in all three rounds, and it nearly resulted in him spoiling Pereira’s debut in a new weight class.

Had one of the two judges who scored the fight for Pereira instead given the three-round bout from July of 2023 to Blachowicz, then the outlook of the entire division would’ve been completely different than the current reality.

Pereira’s career has taken off to a new level since beating Blachowicz. He won the vacant title when he finished Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 and hasn’t looked back since. He headlined UFC 300 with a first-round knockout win over Jamahal Hill for his first title defence, finished Prochazka a second time in their UFC 303 rematch and then pummelled Khalil Rountree Jr. in a great four-round scrap at UFC 307.

One key stat to note about Pereira’s recent run: the 37-year-old Brazilian has only needed to defend three takedown attempts since facing Blachowicz, and all three were from Prochazka in their first meeting.

Ankalaev is a former combat Sambo champion from Dagestan, and although he doesn’t often choose to implement a grappling-heavy game plan when he competes, his wrestling base is the x-factor heading into this UFC 313 clash. 

The 32-year-old blew his only previous chance at UFC gold by starting slowly in his vacant title bout with Blachowicz at UFC 282 more than two years ago, which ended in a draw, resulting in the belt remaining vacant at the time.

Ankalaev picked up a no-contest in his next outing when he illegally kneed Johnny Walker before knocking Walker out three months later in their immediate rematch. His most recent outing, a three-round unanimous decision over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in October, was a forgettable yet clear 29-28 victory that ultimately earned him his second shot at the belt.

Will we finally see one of Pereira’s challengers attempt to take him out of his element, or could Ankalaev test his striking skills against the feared champion?

With that in mind, below are some other key questions and everything else you need to know this week ahead of the UFC's return to T-Mobile Arena.

ANY REASON TO QUESTION PEREIRA'S PREPARATIONS?

One storyline entering the main event is the skepticism and/or concern some have raised over how Pereira spent his time leading up to this event.

Former fighters-turned-commentators Daniel Cormier, Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen were among those to question Pereira’s recent trip to Australia as he accompanied Sean Strickland to Sydney to help corner his former opponent-turned-training-partner against Dricus Du Plessis in their recent UFC 312 main event rematch.

Spending a week travelling across the globe, thus cutting into training camp time, is not common for UFC champions less than a month out from a title defence. However, Pereira has since assured Cormier that he is fully prepared and there is no reason for concern.

Pereira began his fight week by shaving his head per usual and posting a “ready to kill” message on social media, indicating “Poatan” has his game face on and is not underestimating his challenger.

WILL ANKALAEV ACTUALLY USE HIS GRAPPLING?

As mentioned above, there’s a huge gap in grappling credentials in the main event with Ankalaev, in theory, holding a significant advantage in the wrestling department over Pereira. One thing to consider, though, is that Ankalaev doesn’t often choose to wrestle when he’s in the Octagon.

In fact, Ankalaev only averages 0.92 takedowns per 15 minutes of cage time and has never won an MMA bout by submission. He can accumulate control time while standing along the fence when unable to complete a takedown attempt, but in terms of clean takedowns, they come few and far between.

Ankalaev certainly is no slouch on the feet, but no one in the division holds a striking advantage over Pereira. Ankalaev also struggled to defend low leg kicks during his draw with Blachowicz, and Pereira has been able to utilize that technique to hurt several of his opponents, including Israel Adesanya during their pair of middleweight title fights.

“We’ve been asking for this and waiting for it and asking and waiting, and it’s just been a long time,” Ankalaev said via a translator at a recent media scrum. “Now we’ve finally got this opportunity and that’s behind us, so we’re going to do whatever we can to make sure to get this victory. I don’t know if (the UFC) appreciates me yet, but after this fight, they will make sure to appreciate me.”

WHICH REFS, JUDGES ARE TASKED WITH THE MAIN EVENT?

The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced last week the judging and referee assignments for UFC 313, and it’ll be a handful of familiar names and faces in charge of monitoring the main event. Marc Goddard will serve as referee, while veteran Las Vegas officials Mike Bell, Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato will judge each round when Pereira and Ankalaev are in the cage.

WHY THE NEW CO-MAIN EVENT?

Justin Gaethje was originally slated to face Dan Hooker in a five-round co-feature, but the popular former BMF titleholder and one-time interim lightweight champ is now set for a three-round rematch with a fighter he defeated less than two years ago.

Hooker announced last week he sustained a hand injury while sparring less than two weeks out from the anticipated matchup and has since undergone surgery to repair a fracture. Gaethje vs. Hooker was expected to be a BMF-style brawl that both competitors always participate in. Instead, fight fans will be treated to a sequel of a fun, competitive striking match from roughly two years ago that took home a Fight of the Night award.

Rafael Fiziev, 31, fell short versus Gaethje via a three-round majority decision at UFC 283 in March of 2023 and followed that loss up by blowing out his knee during a loss to Mateusz Gamrot in September of 2023. He hasn’t fought since yet and was eager to offer to step in on short notice this weekend.

Gaethje, 36, is still the No. 3-ranked contender in the 155-pound division but has not fought since being knocked out by Max Holloway at UFC 300.

This rematch is scheduled for three rounds instead of five, given its short-notice nature.

WHAT DO THE ODDS SAY?

The champion Pereira only sits as a slight favourite less than a week out from the fight. Pereira begins the week as a -120 favourite compared to a +100 underdog price for Ankalaev, according to BetMGM.

Pereira’s opening odds for this matchup with Ankalaev were in the -170 range, but now it is close to a toss-up, meaning the challenger has been getting increased attention at the betting window.

Gaethje, despite his previous win over Fiziev, is now the underdog entering the rematch, as the odds have continued to move in Fiziev’s direction since the bout was initially announced. Gaethje opens the week as a +120 underdog, with Fiziev sitting at -145 chalk.

WHO’S ON THE CALL

The UFC reunites its go-to commentary team with Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier set to call the action. Anik is on play-by-play with Rogan and Cormier providing commentary and analysis. Rogan was not on the broadcast for UFC 312 since it was an international event, and Rogan only works on American-based numbered events. Bruce Buffer will perform the in-cage announcing and Megan Olivi is the UFC’s official backstage reporter.

WHAT DOES THE FULL FIGHT CARD LOOK LIKE?

As of Monday, 11 bouts had been confirmed for the event. It is possible that an additional preliminary bout or two will be added to the lineup this week since a heavyweight bout between Jhonata Diniz and Vitor Petrino was cancelled with Petrino injured. Bantamweight Chris Gutierrez was left without a UFC 313 opponent when Jean Matsumoto was rebooked into his recent short-notice bout with Rob Font. Below is the projected bout order for UFC 313 as of Monday night.

(UPDATE: Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda was added to the UFC 313 prelims early Tuesday)

MAIN CARD

-- Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

-- Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev

-- Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes

-- Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo            

-- King Green vs. Maurício Ruffy

PRELIMINARY CARD

-- Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev

-- Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya

-- Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan

-- Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal

-- Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall

-- Djorden Santos vs. Ozzy Diaz

-- Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda

WILL THERE BE A LIVE UFC 313 WEIGH-IN SHOW?

Why yes, there will be! Sportsnet's Aaron Bronsteter and Anna Dua will be broadcasting live from Las Vegas on Friday morning as they report the official weights for UFC 313 athletes and speak to some of the participating fighters. Fans can watch the live weigh-in show on Sportsnet.ca and Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 11:55 a.m. ET / 8:55 a.m. PT.

There will be a one-pound allowance for all non-title bouts. That means both Pereira and Ankalaev must weigh no heavier than 205 pounds for their light-heavyweight title fight to be made official. 

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS FIGHT WEEK?

Media Day: Official media events begin Wednesday when participating athletes will speak with gathered reporters at the UFC Apex. Aaron will have one-on-one interviews with the stars from UFC 313 all throughout the week.

Pre-fight press conference: UFC 313 main card athletes will participate on Thursday from Mandalay Bay Michelob Ultra Arena beginning at approximately 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Pereira, Ankalaev, Gaethje, Fiziev, Jalin Turner and Ignacio Bahamondes are all scheduled to field questions. The event is open to the public and will be available to stream live on Sportsnet+.

UFC 314 press conference: On Friday, before the UFC 313 ceremonial weigh-ins, the stars from April’s pay-per-view event will take the stage to promote that upcoming April 12 event from Miami. Scheduled participants for this press conference that begins roughly 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT include Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes, Michael Chandler, Paddy Pimblett, Yair Rodriguez, Patricio Pitbull, Bryce Mitchell, Jean Silva, Geoff Neal and Carlos Prates.

Ceremonial weigh-in: Once the UFC 314 press conference is completed, the UFC 313 fighters will face off with their respective opponents. This will also take place from Mandalay Bay and is available to stream live on Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.