If you're a real fan of MMA, UFC 313 is not an event you want to miss. The scheduled duels are real dog fights, and there's not much difference between main event and co-main event in terms of quality of fighters and hype before the matches.
The biggest draw for the night is going to be none other than Alex Pereira. His job on the night will be to defend the light heavyweight title. Many experts agree that Magomed Ankalaev is going to be his toughest test so far. While these two will put on a show without a doubt, nothing less is expected from Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker in the co-main event.
UFC 313 Main Card Picks & Predictions
With not much to go, fans can start gearing up for UFC 313. The event is scheduled for 9th of March at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The main card is rather good, and not usually expected this early in the year. Let's take a look at it:
Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev - This duel is a showdown between giants of the light heavyweight division. While we expect a decent bout, we must single out Poatan as the favourite for this one. Our prediction lies on Alex by KO/TKO.
Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker - Another piece of MMA history will be written during and in the aftermath of this bout. We expect a trench fight with both fighters refusing to go down. A decision will be made after the last bell, and we predict it will go in Justin's direction.
Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes - Here, a one sided duel is to be seen when time for kick off comes around. If you're a betting man go to Bitcoin Casino USA, and bet on Turner winning by KO/TKO.
Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo - This is a duel that has all the makings of a classic. We expect for the bout to be a drawn out duel both standing and on the ground. If the turn of events takes the match down, it will be a duel decided by a decision that will go Lucindo's way in our opinion.
King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy - In a duel that's expected to be a bout fought with strikes and kicks, we can see it going only one way and that's a win by Ruffy through means of KO/TKO.
Now that you have our picks and predictions for the main card, it's a good moment to take a look at the history of the main and co-main event, and see what we can learn from it.
Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev
Pereira's jump from a literal nobody to one of the best fighters in UFC history is nothing less than a classic Hollywood underdog story directed in the favelas of Brazil. No one saw Alex's dominance in the light heavyweight coming especially after his bouts with Israel Adesanya. Out of the two fighters one went to oblivion while the other reached stardom in the UFC. While a dominant fighter in his own right, Poatan has never faced a fighter of Ankalaev calibre. With a record of 20-1-1, Magomed is a true test for Pereira, and a worthy adversary for yet another title defence.
Pereira was shaken a few times during his last title defence, but his strengths still remain striking and kicking, particularly with a focus on left hook and low kicks. At the same time, his grappling leaves a lot to be desired, and this is where Ankalaev holds a massive advantage over him. Yet, neither are too proficient in wrestling, with Ankalaev being shy of it with only one of his wins coming by a means of submission while his only defeat was through submission. For the Russian fighter this is the biggest test of his career. For Pereira just another title defence.
Justin Gaethje vs Dan Hooker
While Pereira vs. Ankalaev is rightfully stealing the spotlight at UFC 313, no one should neglect the co-main event. Gaethje and Hooker will also put on a show as these two are the never-back-down types of fighters. This is going to be a dog fight not decided until the last moment. Their records speak for themselves and we expect a bout that will not end up in the shadow of the main event.
Both fans and pundits in the MMA believe that Gaethje is going to aim for yet another bonus on the night as he's known as a fighter who always chases bonuses. The bonus hunter was stopped in his last bout so we're expecting a more careful Justin on 9th of March. We say this as Hooker is on a 3-win streak and he will be looking to add the 4th one.
There's not much to say about the upcoming event besides - get your popcorn ready. It's going to be one hell of a fight night at UFC 313.
