UFC 313 preview

UFC 313 has become one of the most hyped-up UFC events in recent memory. Mostly in part, due to the main card. So let’s take a dive into the main card and see who these fighters are and how these matchups came to be.

Mauricio Ruffy vs. King Green

The Fighting Nerds have quickly become one of the coolest stories in the UFC. A gym from Sao Paulo, Brazil has pushed five fighters into the UFC. Now those five are all exciting prospects in their divisions. Only one fighter is on the UFC 313 card, and that is Mauricio Ruffy.

Ruffy is undefeated within the UFC and only has one loss in his professional career. His training in Brazil has molded him into a great fighter, but atypical to other Brazilian fighters, he is an incredible fighter on the feet.

Only one of Ruffy’s 11 career wins has gone to decision, and that was his last win over James Llontop. Ruffy looks to continue his meteoric rise with a win in this fight.

The man he will battle is King Green. Green is coming off a loss to another rising star in the loudmouth scouser Paddy Pimblett.

Green is what many would consider to be a UFC journeyman, fighting for the company since 2013. Green has amassed a 32-16-1 record throughout his professional career. In his career, he has finished a fight in the first round 11 times, while also recording 11 knockouts.

Green’s career is winding down, but he will look to add another vintage moment in this fight against Ruffy.

Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo

In the second bout of the main card, two Brazilian female fighters will lay it all on the line.

Lemos is a former title challenger, and certainly a formidable opponent. The veteran has finished five opponents throughout her tenure in the UFC. With two coming by way of submission, and three by way of a knockout.

The number five ranked strawweight will look to hold her spot in the top five with a victory in this bout.

Lucindo has gone on a four-fight winning streak since her loss to Yazmin Jauregui in her UFC debut. Three of her four victories on this streak have gone to the scorecards, while she picked up a submission Polyana Viana.

Lucindo looks to continue her rise through the strawweight division and to break into the top five with a win in this fight.

Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes

The next fight on the card features a ranked fighter trying to hold his spot, and an intriguing prospect looking to break into the top 15.

Turner has had a very up-and-down career within the UFC. After losing two of his first four UFC fights, the 13th-ranked lightweight rattled off five straight victories. Turner would then suffer a two-fight losing streak before winning one more.

In his last fight against Renato “Money” Moicano, Turner dropped his opponent but didn’t attempt to finish the fight. Instead, he chose to walk away believing Moicano to be knocked out. Turner would go on to lose the fightin the very next round.

Turner will look to bounce back with a victory over a surging lightweight prospect.

Bahamondes similarly started off his UFC career with a loss. Since that point, however, he has won five of his next six fights. The Chilean fighter currently holds a two-fight win streak. And with a win against Turner, he will slide into the top 15 of the lightweight division.

Will the prospect continue to succeed, or will the gatekeeper slam the gates of the division shut?

Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev

We now found ourselves at the co-main event of this card, and one that is sure to be full of big moments.

This matchup was not the originally scheduled matchup. Gaethje was originally booked to take on fellow brawler Dan Hooker before Hooker pulled out due to a hand injury. Dana White and the UFC quickly scrambled and threw together this rematch.

Gaethje has earned his nickname, being dubbed “the Highlight” for his ability to finish a fight in highlight fashion. The former interim lightweight champion and BMF belt holder is once again trying to work his way up to a title shot.

Gaethje is coming off a loss to Max Holloway, in which he dropped his belt after being knocked out just before the fight ended. Though a vaunted stand-up fighter, Gaethje is a former Division I collegiate wrestler. One aspect of his skills to which he really hasn’t explored.

Fiziev hasn’t fought in the UFC since 2023, in part, due to a knee injury he suffered in his last fight against Mateusz Gamrot. In the fight before his injury, he would lose to Gaethje via majority decision.

Fiziev has wins over some big names, such as Rafael Dos Anjos, King Green and Renato Moicano. He will however have to prepare for this fight with only a few weeks' notice. Something that has been a problem for many UFC fighters before him.

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

And we arrive at our main event, featuring one of the most anticipated light-heavyweight matchups in the UFC in recent years. One where the Brazilian style of MMA and the Dagestan sambo style will meet to find out which fighter is superior.

Pereira, the reigning light-heavyweight champion, has had a wild and unique path to and within the UFC. When Pereira was 21 years old, he was an alcoholic. He walked into an MMA gym, and that would help set him on the right path to stardom.

Pereira would become a champion in kickboxing, before making the switch to MMA and eventually the UFC. Poatan became the middleweight champion in 2022, by defeating rival Israel Adesanya. Adesanya would win the belt back the next year, prompting Pereira to move to light-heavyweight.

In light-heavyweight, Pereira has defeated 3 former light-heavyweight champions. Knocking out two of them. Pereira has quickly become a fan-favorite for both his out-of-the-octagon personality and his ability in the octagon. You would be hard-pressed to find a UFC fan who doesn’t know Pereira’s “chama” phrase.

Ankalaev on the other hand, has finally realized his title shot opportunity. After waiting for a long time, his fight with Pereira was finally booked earlier this year.

The Dagestan product has lost once in his UFC career, ironically in his UFC debut. Former light-heavyweight Paul Craig locked in a triangle and forced Ankalaev to submit just before the final bell.

Since then the Russian has been on a warpath. Taking out multiple top fighters such as Aleksandar Rakić and Johnny Walker. Ankalaev blends the sambo wrestling style with a solid boxing base. This makes him an anomaly compared to other Dagestan-born fighters, who typically only use the sambo style.

This matchup will shape the future of the UFC, no matter who wins it. Only time will tell which fighter will leave Las Vegas with the championship.

Luke Stefanisko is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ljs6415@psu.edu.