Alex Pereira will seek his fourth UFC light heavyweight title defense in under a calendar year on Saturday night when he takes on Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313.
Pereira (12-2, 10 knockouts) closed 2024 with his third successful title defense, beating Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 on October 5. Though Pereira won by TKO in the fourth round, Rountree put up a far better fight than Jiri Prochazka or Jamahal Hill did in Pereira's previous two defenses – and Hill even had the champion at a disadvantage for a significant portion of the fight.
Still, Pereira has won four consecutive fights by KO/TKO, with his roundhouse kick against Prochazka at UFC 303 instantly becoming one of the most iconic stoppages in UFC's 31-year history.
With a win Saturday, Pereira would become the second-fastest fighter to four title defenses in UFC history. He also would be in prime position to take over the top spot on the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings.
"This means a lot to me," Pereira said. "Contrary to a lot of naysayers, a lot of so-called experts that said it wasn't able to be done. Look at the amount of work I've put in, look at what I've been able to deliver. I'm here as living proof of that.
"I'm going to fight on Saturday without thinking about the records, without thinking about status or anything else. I'm gonna fight like it's my debut in the UFC."
Ankalaev (20-1-1, 11 KOs) will be Pereira's toughest test since becoming champion. The Dagestani sambo specialist will make his first title defense since December 2022, when a controversial split draw decision against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282 prevented him from earning the interim light heavyweight championship belt.
Ankalaev fought his way back into the title picture by beating Johnny Walker via second-round knockout at UFC Vegas 84 and by earning a convincing unanimous decision victory over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in October.
Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 13 fights and hasn't lost outright since 2018. If he beats Pereira on Saturday night, he will ascend into the ranks of MMA immortality.
"I see that in this fight everyone is against me," Ankalaev said through boos at Thursday's press conference. "Everyone's saying ‘Chama, Chama, Chama,' but guess what? Chama time is over after this Saturday night. After the fight, you will all love me. (The crowd) motivates me. It charges me. Everyone's against me; I'm here by myself."
"I wasn't upset about (UFC 282). I have nobody to blame; it's just myself. We saw the fight, the whole world saw the fight, but it happened the way it happened. Now it's a whole different ballgame. It's a different fight. It's a different opponent. And you know what? Honestly, he should say thank you to (UFC president) Dana White for protecting him this whole time."
Most sportsbooks in Las Vegas have Pereira listed as a slight -115 favourite over Ankalaev, though Caesars has the fight handicapped as a -110 pick ‘em. The last time Pereira closed as the betting underdog was against Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 in April 2023, his last loss to date.
While Ankalaev may not become the outright favourite before the bell rings on Saturday night, he has better odds than any of Pereira's opponents in the last two years.
CO-MAIN EVENT:
Justin Gaethje (26-5) v Rafael Fiziev (12-3), lightweight division
Fiziev will return to the octagon after 17 months, filling in for Dan Hooker, who suffered a hand injury in training. The injury required surgery. Fiziev lost a majority decision to Gaethje in their first meeting at UFC 286, a fight that earned Fight of the Night honours.
OTHER MAIN-CARD FIGHTS:
Jalin Turner (14-8) v Ignacio Bahamondes (16-5), lightweight
King Green (32-16-1) v Mauricio Ruffy (11-1), lightweight
Amanda Lemos (14-4-1) v Iasmin Lucindo (17-5), women's strawweight