Alex Pereira will make the fourth defense of his light heavyweight title against top contender Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March.

Despite all his posturing, Alex Pereira will in fact next defend his title against Magomed Ankalaev, and it’s official for UFC 313.

Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) is ranked No. 1 in the UFC's official light heavyweight rankings. He's undefeated in his last 13 UFC fights and most recently defeated Aleksandar Rakic. Ankalaev previously fought Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight title in 2022, which ended in a split draw.

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev is finally official. In a matchup long in the making, Pereira defends his UFC light heavyweight title against Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, UFC announced Saturday.

The light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will defend his title against top contender Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313.

The UFC is having their first PPV of 2025 tonight and they broke some major news on the broadcast. They announced that their first PPV in Las Vegas for 2025 on March 8th will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira (12-2) and Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1).

UFC 313 will take place on Saturday March 8, with Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev, and Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker.

UFC has officially announced that reigning light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will defend his title against top-ranked contender Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313. The event is scheduled for March 8, 2025, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (12-2) returns to action at UFC 313 on March 8 to face Magomed Ankalaev (19-1) at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena. As confirmed on the UFC 311 broadcast, Brazil's Pereira looks to make the fourth defense of his 205-pound title against an opponent who hasn't tasted defeat since 2018.