UFC 313 Pre-Fight Matchups

The fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, Nevada is yet again hosting a massive PPV at the T-Mobile Arena. The UFC has landed back in Vegas for a fight card headlined by a legend in the making, Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira, taking on one of his more trivial matchups in Russia’s Magomed Ankalaev. This card is littered with big time fights that seem to pit a lot of newcomers against fighters with resumes. We will see the common theme of who’s here to really break through and which veterans can stop those trains. The card cant disappoint, there is far too much on the line for all of these fights. All of these fighters tend to keep fights on the feet, AKA slugfest incoming. It really doesn’t get any better for TV. The First fight of the evening should set the pace. We open up with USA’s King Green, notorious for engaging in firefights taking on the Conor McGregor-esque Mauricio Ruffy. These guys are gonna have a high-level striking match that should set fireworks off for the evening. Now this kind of a card might be a sports bettors nightmare because anyone can knockout anyone at anytime. The path to victory might be betting over/unders on fight times for most the fights. However there are clear paths to victory for most of these fighters and we can make some calls based not that. Lets take a look at these matchups…

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The first bout of the evening brings action to the lightweight division as we get USA’s (UR) King Green vs. the Brazilian (UR) Mauricio Ruffy. King Green is fighting of Fontana, California, his gym, Pinnacle MMA. He has a brown belt in BJJ but often relies on his standup game in fights. Green is (32-16-1) and has been fighting in the UFC since 2013 and has now morphed into an exciting asset for the UFC. A bit of journeyman now, but he fights on big cards for a reason. He has fought the best of the best in the division for a long time and in this case, he is fighting another up and coming dog. Mauricio Ruffy hails from Brazil and is part of the “The Fighting Nerds” gym in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The fighting nerds are one of the best new gyms in MMA with plenty of real contenders emerging like Ciao Barralho and Jean Silva. Mauricio is no different. Fighting with his karate stance is reminiscent of prime Conor McGregor and it makes him so fun to watch. He is a sniper and isn’t afraid to get dirty to get that finish. This guy is going to be a problem in this division for a long time. Ruffy is 11-1 with his only loss coming years ago to a guy under the Bellator/PFl umbrella who also has an impressive record of 11-1. He lost by way of knockout but has been starching his competition otherwise. In the striking matchup that we most likely see between these two fighters, it will be interesting because King Green is a counter puncher and is really good at striking while moving backwards. Ruffy likes to use his range and with his timing he is a problem. It’ll be interesting to see how that dynamic will play out. One thing we could bet on, is that this fight will be high energy to start. The exchanges will be quick and often, possibly indicating a finish in round one or two. If a guess as to who takes the win in this fight had to be made, Mauricio Ruffy has the edge in this fight. He’s younger and more fresh with a dangerously high level striking game that I truly believe is better than King Green’s. Green is dog though and could clip Ruffy, wrap him up and finish as well. Thats the key for Ruffy, don’t get tangled up with Green, he finds necks very fast. We personally cant wait for this fight, the prospect that Ruffy is, is very intriguing to us an the MMA world. How far do The Fighting Nerds go.

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With the second bout of the evening, we get the compelling women’s straw weight matchup between Brazil’s (5) Amanda Lemos and Brazil’s (7) Iasmin Lucindo. These two have a lot on their plate, and the stakes for their careers are pretty high with this fight. If Lemos loses, she’s most likely never going to see another title shot, and if Lucindo loses, all of her momentum will be wasted. She is on a tear right now in a division in need of new contenders. Lucindo and Lemos are both badass strikers who can knockout their opponents. We don’t often find many knockout artists in women’s MMA, so having two of the best fighting each other, especially on this card is a treat. Lemos has real experience that will be tested on March 8th. She has made her own exciting climb to a championship fight that ultimately didn’t go her way, however, she’s absolutely no walk in the park. She can take damage and deal big shots herself making her a formidable opponent. We had the pleasure of watching her fight for gold at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. She was out wrestled for 5 rounds and took a beating, but went the distance impressively. We bring it up because somewhere in the late rounds, after the crowd had settled into the idea that Weili was going to walk to the finish line, Lemos got hit with the loudest punch I’ve ever heard in my life. It sounded like someone breaking a baseball bat over their knee. It sat her down, but we were super impressed with her continuing to take shots like this and keep on fighting. Lucindo is an animal in this division as well. A physical beast for the division, who can push an unmatchable pace on anyone she steps in the octagon with. Sitting at (17-5), we can say she wins and wins a lot, but her fights aren’t always black and white. She’s known to squeak out decisions, but as of late she is finding a new form that looks like she has leveled up her game. Lucindo will put a crazy pace on her opponents and bait them in to firefights where her wild nature shines. Lucindo has a layer to her game that she can always go to that might be too much for Lemos. Lucindo is undoubtedly the bigger fighter and her clinch and ground game is pretty undeniable. If the exchanges become too lengthy you will see Lucindo use the clinch for a take down. Now this fight is the only fight on the card that we think might go to the ground. We predict Lucindo has the edge, she will most likely get a decision victory.

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In the third fight of the evening, things start to heat up with the lightweight matchup between (13) “The Tarantula” Jalin Turner and Chile’s (UR) Ignacio Bahamondes. This fight is really interesting for a few reasons. Turner has been fighting the who’s who of the division for a long time and has the ability to look really good while doing it. He is on the cusp of leveling his game up and if he can find an answer to smaller guys getting inside on him hell find himself in the top 5. Similarly, we have questions about Bahamondes. A product of Dana White’s Contender Series, he has been collecting highlights ever since and been really coming into his own and growing into his body. Bahamondes has only lost once since joining the UFC back in 2021 and lost that fight in a close decision. This is a strikers dream matchup because we have in one corner, the tallest man in the division who can put hands on anyone including the current  champion, and in the other, an up and comer who holds one of the nastiest spinning wheel kick finishes ever caught on camera. I mean stuff you only see Bruce Lee land in movies. When these two gentleman decide to break the distance, fireworks will go off. These guys know the danger of one another, so we might get a feel out period, but once caution goes to the wind, we will get a delightful fight. In all seriousness, Turner has been in the octagon with the likes of Moicano, Gamrot, Hooker, and Green. Valuable minutes for anyone trying to become the best. When will this experience start really paying off for the tarantula? Bahamondes can easily win this fight with the momentum he has. I mean this guy has been in dog fights and still throws bombs until the final bell. While there is a legitimate chance this fight goes either way, we think this might be the stylistic matchup that finally stops Bahamondes run he has been on. There has to be some sort of growth catalyst for the young fighter, and we believe the range will be too much for Bahamondes to be truly successful. To simplify its gonna be really hard for him to find Jalin’s chin. Jalin is looking to start climbing the rankings, he will fight smart for as long as he can.

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Our Co Main event of the evening has been stitched together recently as we get the last second rematch of the Azerbaijani (11) Rafael Fisiev and USA’s Former Interim Lightweight Champion (3) Justin Gaethje. This fight was originally scheduled for Justin Gaethje to take on Dan Hooker, a fight that seems impossible to not have happened already. Although that fight would have been fireworks, the replacement brings the same sort of explosiveness that Dan Hooker would have brought. The last time these two fought, we got three rounds of a slugfest. Both of these guys are known for throwing strikes with really bad intentions. Justin Gaethje was able to show up in better shape and stole the final round with a better pace. Fisiev fights have been sparse since losing to Gaethje in March of 2023, with showing up for one fight since against Mateuz Gamrot where he lost by way of Knockout. Fisiev is a Muay Thai fighter that is among the best in the world with no signs of his pace slowing down. Fisiev has beat former champion Rafael Dos Anjos and racked up other wins in the division with gnarly highlights to match. The only problem this bulldog has coming into this fight, is he stands across the octagon from a thicker bulldog. Justin Gaethje has been fighting only big names since his debut in 2019 and almost has never been in a boring fight. HIs willingness to throw caution to the wind and put on crowd pleaser performances is the reason he has many fans around the world and has had blockbuster matchups in his tenure. In his last couple showings in the octagon, Justin Gaethje has been slowly teasing retirement. Dan Hooker seemed like the final hoorah opponent from the matchmakers, but if he splits outcomes with Fisiev, you almost want to see Gaethje come back for a career harrowing moment. Remember Gaethje is coming off one of the most viral knockouts of the last decade, when Max Hollaway dusted him in the final second of their UFC 300 meeting. Gaethje to get beat again, then retire wouldn’t feel right. He has given far too much of his life to the sport and only been an exciting fighter, regardless of doing whats best for the win. Going into this fight be prepared that we might never get another Gaethje fight and soak it up. Expect a finish in this car crash of a fight. Fisiev plans on not going to the hospital after this fight, and them are fighting words. We think Fisiev will get his get back on this one and split the series.

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The final fight of the evening and UFC 313’s Main Event brings the light heavyweight matchup of Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion, Brazil’s (C) Alex “Poatan” Pereira and Russia’s (1) Magomed Ankalaev. This fight has been expected for the greater part of last year and this year, however a lot was up in the air with Poatan being the marquee draw for the UFC in recent times. There have been links with Pereira moving up to Heavyweight in pursuit of becoming the first three division champ taking on the winner of Jones vs Aspinall. All the confusion seemed to be a slight towards Ankalaev because when Ankalaev fought for the Interim title against Jan Blachowicz, Dana White expressed his intense disappointment in the fight. Ankalaev has been starved of real opportunity ever since, example, getting back to back Johnnie Walker fights. Finally we get this clash of titans in what might be Pereira’s first time seeing an undesirable matchup. Everyone believed Ankalaev would try to take the champion to the ground, but we rarely see him ever attempt a takedown regardless of his heralded ground game. Ankalaev has expressed his desire to knockout Pereira to the media in the buildup for this fight. NOT AGAIN. Everyone wants that esteem, we get it, but a true path to victory against this guy is putting him on his back. When you’re 25 minutes from potentially reaching your careers pinnacle, are you going to gamble your gold away standing in front of one of the scariest strikers in history, let alone the UFC? Poatan made his debut in 2020 and has been on a rocket ship to stardom, much like that of Conor McGregor’s. He has fought the best of the middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions for years, fighting sometimes four times a year. He has finished most everyone in devastating fashion. Ankalaev has been more of a quiet killer for years but has some of the best names in the division on his resume. We think you can expect this to stay on the feet for a few rounds. Its fun to wonder how long it takes for Ankalaev to shoot. There is a lot of buzz around Ankalaev’s vision on the feet as well. He has an ability to see a lot of punches coming and slip them to land counters of his own. The thing about his opponent is, he will throw punches from angles you didn’t know existed. Pereira fights with his hands down, making it hard to see the punches coming. How does this play out? Who can game the other one better? Truly a treat every time Pereira steps in the ring. You watch this guy starch people, and you can feel the punches through the tv. We think this fight goes the distance. Such a tough bet, but Ankalaev rarely puts himself in serious danger. Both guys like to march forward however, which sounds contradictory. These guys aren’t stand and bang guys, they are snipers. Whoever shows up healthiest wins this thing. Pereira has the edge, we believe his experience in championship fights will shine how it always does.

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Get ready for one of the best cards of the year!