UFC 313: Pereira’s toughest test and Gaethje’s last title run

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will have its light heavyweight title up for grabs this Saturday night at UFC 313, as defending champion Alex Pereira puts it all on the line against Magomed Ankalaev. But, before the big men clash in the main event, lightweight superstar Justin Gaethje will rematch Rafael Fiziev, hoping to recreate the success he found in their first bout. Here’s everything you need to know about the four fighters and how they got here before the actions kicks off.

Pereira vs Ankalaev

Alex Pereira has become one of the UFC’s largest stars, and for good reason. His rise to the title was unprecedented, taking home middleweight gold in his fourth ever fight in the UFC. But, that was only the beginning. Pereira would go on to win the light heavyweight title, clearing out three former champions in the division, including Jan Blachowizs, Jiri Prochazka, and Jamahal Hill. Most recently, he triumphed over Khalil Rountree Jr., in what seemed to be Pereira’s toughest challenge yet. Relatively speaking that is, as Rountree was knocked out just like Prochazka was twice, and Jamahal Hill was. It only took a couple more rounds.

There doesn’t seem to be much left in the division for Pereira to do, with the Brazilian knockout artist already seeking a fight against heavyweight champion Jon Jones. However, there is one man that has proved time and time again that he can hang with the best of them. And his name is Magomed Ankalaev.

Ankalaev, a Dagestani fighter, challenged for the title once before in December of 2022 against Jan Blachowicz, after Jiri Prochazka vacated the title with a serious shoulder injury. It was a competitive bout, in which Blachowicz vicious leg kicks seems to debilitate Ankalaev early on, before the Dagestani utilised his wrestling to control the Polish fighter in the later rounds.

The fight would end in a draw, but instead of Ankalaev receiving another title shot, he was erased from the championship picture completely. And that was largely due to UFC CEO Dana White’s belief that the fight was lacklustre.

“I think the main event was terrible, you know, what are you going to do,” said White. Shortly after, when asked who he believed won the fight, he said “I don’t even know, I started to zone out after like fucking three rounds.”

“I heard that Ankalaev is upset and whatever, what do you want me to do? You got beat up the first two rounds.”

In that same post fight press conference, White announced that former champion Glover Texeira and soon to be champion Jamahal Hill would face off for the belt next. And just like that, Ankalaev’s golden hopes were knocked clean out of the realm of possibility.

Things would get worse with Ankalaev’s next fight. He faced Johnny Walker in a bout that ended in a no contest after an accidental illegal knee rendered Walker unable to continue. However, a little less than three months later, the two would rematch, and Ankalaev would get his first win since beating Anthony Smith in 2022. He then fought Aleksandar Rakic this past October and won via unanimous decision.

Now, Ankalaev will get another shot this Sunday, deservedly so. However, will it be enough to overcome Pereira, who defended his belt three times this past year? Some fans point to Ankalaev’s wrestling as one possible path to victory, as so far Pereira has been unable to successfully defend against his opponents’ take-down attempts. His shortcomings on the ground is his most glaring weakness to be sure, but Ankalaev hasn’t demonstrated the suffocating wrestling ability of some of his Dagestani peers in recent years. Despite being a master of sports in combat sambo, Ankalaev has mostly relied on his striking which becomes more threatening due to the fact that he is competent on the ground. But since Pereira far outclasses anyone in the division when it comes to the stand up, Ankalaev may be forced to use his grappling.

That being said, the Dagestani has said he wants to stand with Pereira, but that might not be advisable for his health.

Also read: UFC 312: What to know before Strickland and Dricus clash again

Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev

Thirty-six-year-old Justin Gaethje is about ten billion years old in fight years based on the amount of damage he has taken in the cage. However, he still doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The human highlight has put on some of the most thrilling fights under the UFC banner, including his last outing against Max Holloway in UFC 300. That bout ended in an incredible knockout in the final seconds of the final round. But, it was Holloway who was celebrating and Gaethje who laid motionless in the centre of the octagon.

That loss left Gaethje in an odd situation. He was on a two-fight win streak, possibly nearing a third title shot, after most recently beating Dustin Poirier via knockout in the second round. But, after losing to Holloway, Gaethje will need to build himself up once more. And if he’s to do it successfully, he will likely need a more measured approach rather than risking it all every few seconds with a wild punch.

Fortunately for the former interim lightweight champion, the last time he demonstrated that level of prolonged self-restraint in the Octagon was against the same man he is set to face this Sunday, Rafael Fiziev. Originally, Gaethje was scheduled to face Dan Hooker, but the Kiwi was forced to pull out of the fight due to a hand injury.

Gaethje and Fiziev met for the first time in 2023. Their three round bout ended in a majority decision victory for Gaethje. The American demonstrated his striking prowess, with piercing jabs that flustered Fiziev.

Now Gaethje will be looking to get back in the win column by repeating his excellence from two years ago. But, that more composed Gaethje may not be the one we see on Sunday. Despite acknowledging the success he finds when being more calculated, Gaethje seemed intent on returning to his more violent roots in his interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri.

“If you look at the champions, they’re moving forward 80 per cent of the time, and I think that has to be implemented if you wanna be successful in the sport. And I think with Chandler and Fiziev, I kind of found success with being safer, but ultimately, that’s not the answer.”

However, Gaethje did also state that he would be a little more polished than he was earlier in his career.

“If you watch the World Series of Fighting Gaethje, yeah, that’s who you’re going to see. But just more refined. You know, I obviously have much better skills than I did in those days. And that’s my mindset.”

Fiziev will be just as, if not more, hungry for the win. The Azerbaijani fighter hasn’t fought since being side-lined with a knee injury he suffered in a fight against Mateusz Gamrot in September of 2023. That was his second loss in the row, but only the third of his career.

A recuperated Fiziev will be looking for blood on Sunday, but his chances of success largely depend on which version of Gaethje he will face. Fans will be excited to see how the fight plays out, and they will savour what is likely Gaethje’s last run at the title, considering the former champion has expressed that he doesn’t have much time left in the sport.

“You ain’t gonna get me for much longer so you better enjoy the show.”

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