Jun 28, 2024; Las Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Pereira or Magomed Ankalaev – Who will lose their Undefeated Las Vegas Record At UFC 313?

Jun 28, 2024; Las Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Pereira has fought in Las Vegas four times and has won every single matchup there. He had a unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva in March of 2022. He then knocked out Sean Strickland in July of 2022. After nearly two years, On April of 2024, Poatan returned to Las Vegas and knocked out Jamahal Hill. His fourth victory came when he took out Jiri Prochazka via knockout in June of 2024. He has successfully defended his light heavyweight title four times so far and remains undefeated in Vegas and as a light heavyweight.

On the other hand we have the Dagestani UFC fighter, Magomed Ankalaev, who’s been on a streak of his own lately. He’s fought in Vegas four times so far in his UFC career. His fight against Jan Blachowicz ended in a draw, but won the match against Johnny Walker, Thiago Santos, and Nikita Krylov, in Las Vegas. Ankalaev’s MMA record stands at 20-1-1 so far in his MMA career.

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The two fighters are set to fight for the lightweight belt in UFC 313 which will be hosted in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. It is one of the most anticipated fights with many fans thinking that Pereira should be able to come out on top. Let us determine who would win between the two fighters.

Who may win the fight at UFC 313? Ankalaev or Pereira

Experience

In our opinion, first thing that comes to our mind is experience and we’re not just talking about how many fights a fighter has taken but also whom he’s gone up against. When we look at Ankalaev and the kind of fighters he’s faced, it may just not be enough. Pereira on the other hand has fought best of the best fighters in the UFC and in two different divisions.

If Alex Pereira beats Magomed Ankalaev, he would have four title defenses in less than 12 months 🤯

Jon Jones was the last fighter to achieve this feat more than 10 years ago 🔥

Legends of the sport 🏆 #UFC313 pic.twitter.com/8fWwrEkYYb
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 27, 2025

Ground Game

On the other hand, it could be a little tricky for Poatan as he has never truly fought a fighter that specializes in the ground game. Most of the fighters that Pereira has faced, usually has exchanged blows with him than take him to the ground. However Ankalaev doesn’t have a single win via submission and his takedown accuracy stands at just 31 percent so far. So the question remains, Can Ankalaev do any damage on the ground? Because if you exchange blows with Poatan, that may not be a very bright idea either as we’ve seen him take down fighters with his kicks and his devastating left hand.

Striking

Both fighters have 10 knockouts under their belts and even though Ankalaev claimed that he can stand up with Pereira and exchange blows with him, that might not be a brightest of ideas he’s had. Pereira has a strike accuracy rate of 63.1 percent compared to Ankalaev’s 52 percent. Poatan also throws more significant strikes per minute with 5.46 compared to Ankalaev’s 3.64. While the Dagestani has a percent strike defense pecentage at 58 percent, it may not be enough to block all of the vicious strikes that Poatan can deliver.

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Who we do pick to win?

Even though Poatan has never really faced a true grappler like Ankalaev, the same goes for Magomed as he’s never faced a striker with such precision and power. Both the fighters will be fighting against unfamiliar styles but if history has taught us anything, our money is on Poatan to win the fight via knockout. However, we also know that Ankalaev isn’t an amateur either and the brawl can go either ways.

Also Read: Alexander Volkanovski Admits His Time as a UFC Fighter Could Be Coming to an End Soon

Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev

UFC 313

Eric Divakaran

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I cover the National Football League and things cannot get better than that. I always dreamed to play football or basketball professionally since I’m built like a Running Back. But now that I can’t, since I’m technically in the “Unc” age, I thought why not pick a career in sports industry? So here I am, doing what I love, and hoping that the Commanders win the Super Bowl. I give love to players when it’s due, but can be critical about their performances at the same time. Enough about me, now let my articles do all the talking.