Alex Pereira is back!

On Saturday, Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313. Before that, Justin Gaethje returns to the cage for the first time since his iconic knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 when he runs things back with former foe Rafael Fiziev.

It’s a pay-per-view weekend which means big fights, so let’s dive right into the bets.

All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Single Plays

Rafael Fiziev (-178)

Fiziev steps in on short notice against Gaethje in the stead of an injured Dan Hooker and that seems like a tough draw for Gaethje. Yes, “The Highlight” won their first encounter, but he did so by the skin of his teeth. Now, Gaethje is 36 years old and coming off the most brutal knockout loss of his career. Frankly, I’m far more concerned about that than I am Fiziev’s long layoff and knee injury. Feels like Fiziev gets to avenge a loss on Saturday.

Jalin Turner (+102)

I’m a big Jalin Turner supporter and have been forever. Ignacio Bahamondes is an interesting matchup because he is one of the few lightweights who can match Turner’s size, but he’s also unlikely to attack Turner’s weakness: grappling. Turner is a dynamic and lethal striker, and would probably be on a two-fight winning streak if he was a little more cutthroat against Renato Moicano, and I expect him to get back in the win column with authority on Saturday.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Prop Bets

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev Ends By KO/TKO (-155)

I’ve got a full breakdown of this fight coming so I won’t dive in too deep here, but the main event on Saturday feels like an incredibly close contest. These are the two best light heavyweights in the world, and both men are potent offensive forces. Obviously, if Pereira wins it will most likely be by knockout, but over half of Ankalaev’s career wins have come by KO or TKO. Both men have the power to knock the other out on the feet, and if it goes to the floor, Ankalaev has the sort of nasty ground and pound to end it there as well. This is a good price for the most likely outcome.

Armen Petrosyan by KO/TKO (+210)

Petrosyan takes on Brunno Ferreira in a prelim bout that is some of the best matchmaking in recent UFC history. Why is that? Because Petrosyan is “Superman” and Ferreira is “The Hulk!” This is a classic DC vs. Marvel superfight and we’re getting it on ESPN+!

And fortunately, we know exactly how this fight goes. Superman and The Hulk squared off in Marvel vs. DC 3 and though Merged Hulk gives Superman a good battle, in the end The Man of Steel knocks Bruce Banner out cold. So that is exactly what happens again on Saturday.

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Parlay

We took a week off from Gimmick Parlays last week and it would have been a winner! Just our luck but rest assured, we’re back with a vengeance this week. There are a few options you could choose from for a Gimmick Parlay on Saturday, but can I offer you the Santos Parlay?

Mauricio Ruffy (-520)

“But Jed, this man is not named Santos!” you shout at your phone/computer.

You poor fool, do you know anything? Mauricio’s family name actually is Santos, but he goes by Ruffy, apparently a character from One Piece (I did not know any of this until media day). And while I have a deep amount of respect for King Green, he’s looking a little faded, and Ruffy has the Fighting Nerds magic behind him, and should win.

Mairon Santos (-340)

Mairon Santos is the most recent Ultimate Fighter winner and making his first non-TUF appearance in the UFC against Francis Marshall on the prelims. While “TUF Winner” isn’t quite the seal of approval it used to be, Santos is a good enough prospect and should get his hand raised as well.

Djorden Santos (-194)

The first leg of the Santos Parlay is Djorden Santos making his UFC debut from Contender Series against Ozzy Diaz. Djorden was not a premier prospect in my estimation so he’s probably the most concerning leg of this parlay, but he’s a good enough boxer and Diaz has basically lost to every good fighter he’s ever come up against.

Parlay these three bets together for +133 odds.

Wrap Up

It was only a small win last week, but a win is a win. We’ll take those any time. Hopefully we get a streak going with another positive weekend.

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

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UFC 313 will determine whether or not Dagestani star Magomed Ankalaev is the kryptonite of kickboxing ace Alex Pereira, and the UFC 313 cold open highlights the clash between “a different kind of beast” and “a smashing force”.

Narrated by actor Ron Perlman, the video takes a closer look to the highly anticipated clash that could ceent “Poatan” among the greatest champions in light heavyweight history with four title defenses, or have Ankalaev dethrone one of the most popular faces of the company today.

The clip posted by UFC CEO Dana White also breaks down the co-main event contest between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. The lightweight duel, made on short notice after Dan Hooker was forced out with a hand injury, is described as “a rematch of epic proportions.”

Watch the UFC 313 cold open below.

The UFC 313 main card features four more lightweights, as King Green opens the pay-per-view portion of the show versus Mauricio Ruffy, and Jalin Turner takes on Ignacio Bahamondes. Also featured is a strawweight showdown between Brazilian talents Amanda Lemos and Iasmin Lucindo.

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At the UFC 313 weigh-ins, all 24 fighters on Saturday’s UFC fight card step on the scale Friday in Las Vegas, Nev.

In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev have to weigh no more than 205 pounds for the title bout.

In the co-main event, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev have to weigh no more than 156 pounds for the non-title bout.

The UFC 313 ceremonial weigh-in video starts at 12 p.m. ET.

The UFC 313 ceremonial weigh-in video will be at 7 p.m. ET.

Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

Alex Pereira (205) vs. Magomed Ankalaev (205)

Justin Gaethje (156) vs. Rafael Fiziev (156)

Jalin Turner (154.5) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (156)

Amanda Lemos (116) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (115.5)

King Green (155.5) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (155.5)

Prelims (ESPNews/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET)

Curtis Blaydes (262) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (264.5)

Joshua Van (125.5) vs. Rei Tsuruya (125.5)

Brunno Ferreira (186) vs. Armen Petrosyan (186)

Alex Morono (171) vs. Carlos Leal (169)

Prelims (ESPN+/Disney+ at 6:30 p.m. ET)

Mairon Santos (145.5) vs. Francis Marshall (146)

Chris Gutierrez (144.5) vs. John Castaneda (145)

Djorden Santos (185.5) vs. Ozzy Diaz (185.5)

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Belal Muhammad has always represented Palestine whenever he competes in the UFC, but now he’s hoping the promotion can rectify a problem related to his profile on the company website.

While athletes on the UFC’s website feature flags from their home nations next to their names, it was brought to Muhammad’s attention that his was left blank. On Thursday, the reigning UFC welterweight champion sent out a plea to UFC CEO Dana White to fix that problem, especially after he championed allowing fighters to once again carry flags to the octagon.

“People keep asking me, ‘Where’s your flag?’ I kept getting multiple messages from it, and I was just assuming it was a mistake, but it’s still not addressed,” Muhammad said on a video posted to Twitter. “So I’ll address it and hope that Dana addresses it as well and fixes it. Because Dana said he’s all about free speech, he’s all about people supporting who they want to support and not muting or silencing anybody.

“I’m hoping that the UFC fixes this issue and puts my flag next to my name so the people that I represent, the people that I fight for, and the people that I train for will see their flag next to their champion’s name.”

Muhammad, who was born in the United States to Palestinian parents, has been an outspoken advocate supporting the people affected by the ongoing war in Gaza. He’s also represented Palestine throughout his UFC career, carrying the flag to the cage in past fights.

In fact, Muhammad previously told MMA Fighting that he was genuinely excited to carry the Palestinian flag to the octagon with him for his first title defense, which is now set for UFC 315 in May when he faces Jack Della Maddalena.

“For me to be able to carry that flag with the belt, to be the champion, it just gives them something to be proud of,” Muhammad said. “Something they can point at and say ‘that’s my flag! That’s my countryman! That’s my guy!’ It just gives these kids something bigger to dream about.”

When he claimed the title this past July with a dominant victory over Leon Edwards in England, Muhammad was overwhelmed by videos and photos he received from people in Palestine celebrating his win.

That only strengthened his resolve to continue representing Palestine whenever he has the opportunity but particularly when he’s competing on the biggest stage in combat sports in the UFC.

“There was literally a refugee camp that had the fights on,” Muhammad said. “They sent me a video of it and all the kids cheering it and watching it while they were there. Those are the real heroes. Those are the guys that I do it for. To get a cheer, to get a smile from one of these kids, to have them look up to me when I’m looking up to them. They’re the strongest people in the world, they’re the most resilient people in the world.

“To see the stuff that they’re going through and the stuff that they’re still grateful for. They’re so grateful just to be alive everyday. They’re still grateful to be able to fight and still be able to live when I’m sitting there, I just fought 25 minutes. It’s nothing. They’re fighting to be alive. They’re fighting everyday to do this thing that we take for granted here in America.”

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Canelo Alvarez is on board with TKO moving into boxing.

Earlier this week, UFC CEO Dana White and Turki Alalshikh announced they officially signed a deal to launch a new boxing league under the TKO banner. While details are sparse on things like who will fight under the banner, the announcement was nonetheless major for the sport of boxing, and Alvarez stands behind it.

“I think if it’s the best for the fighters out there, I’m fine with that,” Alvarez told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “I think [TKO] is going to do the best for the fighters, I’m pretty sure about that. I’m glad someone takes good care of the fighters, because there are a lot of promoters that don’t take seriously the fighters. I think this is good for boxing and for the fighters, especially.”

Alvarez is one of the biggest names currently competing in boxing and recently signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Alalshikh. The unified super middleweight champion will next look to become undisputed when he takes on William Scull on May 3 at The Venue Riyadh as part of Riyadh Season. Should he prove successful, Canelo even says there’s a possibility that his next fight would then be the first marquee event for the TKO brand.

“There’s always an opportunity to fight in September in Las Vegas,” Alvarez said. “Those are my dates and everyone knows that. But I need to take care of the May fight first and we’ll see in September. Bt there’s a possibility to fight in September in Las Vegas and be the first event for [TKO] as a promoter.”

With a record of 62-2-2, Alvarez is still regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. He most recently defended his unified titles with a unanimous decision win over Edgar Berlanga in September.

TOP STORIES

King. Justin Gaethje has no regrets about UFC 300 knockout: ‘I will accept that challenge every single time.’

Gross. Dan Hooker shows gruesome aftermath of hand surgery following injury withdrawal from UFC 313.

Prayer. Magomed Ankalaev reacts to Brendan Schaub saying UFC ‘praying to MMA Gods’ Alex Pereira wins at UFC 313.

Suspension. UFC heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima gets 1-year suspension after failed drug test.

Medicals. UFC Seattle medical suspensions: Henry Cejudo hit with indefinite suspension until cleared for eye injury.

Salaries. UFC Seattle salaries: Song Yadong, Rob Font earn biggest paydays on entire card.

VIDEO STEW

Between the Links.

Ankalaev interview.

UFC 313 Press Conference.

UFC 313 Embedded, episode 4.

DC with Pereira.

Pound 4 Pound previews UFC 313.

FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR

Heavy Hands.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Belal Muhammad speaks directly about the UFC not showing his Palestinian flag.

Tease.

Reaction tests.

Belal Muhammad, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Dricus du Plessis, Alex Pereira, Tom Aspinall.

LOL.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s finally here. One more sleep, and we finally establish who the best light heavyweight on Earth is. I’m pumped. And the rest of this card is sneaky good fun, too. Enjoy it this weekend, y’all.

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

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Henry Cejudo had a bad night at the office in his latest appearance at UFC Seattle.

The former two-division champion suffered a gruesome injury after multiple eye pokes left his vision impaired and ultimately forced a stoppage in his fight against Song Yadong. As a result, Cejudo ended up losing a technical decision since at least three rounds were completed, meaning the fight went to the judges’ scorecards.

The fight not only handed Cejudo his third straight loss overall but he’s now facing an indefinite medical suspension until he gets cleared by an ophthalmologist for his eye injury.

On Thursday, the Washington State Department of Licensing released the medical suspensions from the UFC Seattle card to MMA Fighting via a public records request.

Because of the eye injury, Cejudo must get clearance before the medical suspension is lifted and he has a minimum suspension through March 24 and no contact through March 15.

Following the conclusion of the fight, Cejudo revealed he suffered “diplopia (double vision), soft tissue damage [and] corneal abrasion” from the eye poke.

As for Song, he faces a potentially longer suspension listed until Aug. 21., although there’s no note from the commission why he could be forced to sit out for six months from the date of the fight. Typically, a doctor’s clearance can usurp a medical suspension but Song hasn’t booked another fight since beating Cejudo so there’s no telling if he might try to compete again prior to Aug. 21.

The only other lengthy suspension from the card was for Nikolay Veretennikov after he suffered a second-round TKO loss to UFC newcomer Austin Vanderford. Veretennikov was suspended through Aug. 21 pending an MRI and doctor’s clearance on an injured right shoulder. He faces a minimum suspension through April 8.

Here are the full medical suspensions for the UFC Seattle card:

Song Yadong: Suspended until Aug. 21

Henry Cejudo: Indefinite suspension pending ophthalmological clearance (eye injury). Minimum suspension through March 24, no contact through March 15.

Anthony Hernandez: Suspended through March 24, no contact through March 15

Brendan Allen: Suspended through March 1

Rob Font: Suspended through March 1

Jean Matsumoto: Suspended through March 24

Jean Silva: Suspended through March 1

Melsik Baghdasaryan: Suspended through March 24

Alonzo Menifield: Suspended through March 24, no contact through March 15

Julius Walker: Suspended through March 24

Ion Cutelaba: Suspended through March 15, no contact through March 8

Ibo Aslan: Suspended through March 1

Melquizael Costa: Suspended through March 1

Andre Fili: Suspended through March 24, no contact through March 15

Mansur Abdul-Malik: Suspended through March 24, no contact through March 15

Nick Klein: Suspended through March 24

Ricky Simon: Suspended through March 1

Javid Basharat: Suspended through April 23

Austin Vanderford: Suspended through March 1

Nikolay Veretennikov: Suspended through Aug 21 pending MRI and doctor’s clearance on right shoulder. Minimum suspension through April 8

Nursultan Ruziboev: Suspended through March 1

Eric McConico: Suspended through April 8

Modestas Bukauskas: Suspended through March 1

Raffael Cerqueira: Suspended through April 23

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The UFC 313 pre-fight press conference on Thursday features six of the top fighters competing on Saturday night’s card from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

At the top, Alex Pereira returns to defend his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev in a five-round main event. Meanwhile, Justin Gaethje makes his first appearance since UFC 300 when he clashes with Rafael Fiziev in an intriguing co-main event.

Also featured on stage during the press conference are lightweights Jalin Turner and Ignacio Bahamondes as they get ready to meet in a lightweight bout on the main card.

All six athletes join the stage with the press conference expected to start at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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Magomed Ankalaev isn’t known for his trash talk but he had plenty to say when addressing Alex Pereira on Thursday during the UFC 313 pre-fight press conference.

The usually soft-spoken Russian was almost uncharacteristically vocal on stage while dealing with a raucous crowd that was mostly backing his opponent. None of it seemed to bother Ankalaev much as he smiled through the boos and vowed to change the chants by the time Saturday night’s main event is over.

“I’d like to say that I see in this fight everyone is against me,” Ankalaev said. “Everyone is saying ‘Chama! Chama! Chama!’ But guess what? Chama time is over. After this Saturday night, after the fight, you will all love me.

“The same people that are saying Chama now are going to be saying No Chama! It’s Ankalaev time.”

Of course, ‘Chama’ is a word that Pereira has made famous during his stunning run through the UFC where he’s been a two-division champion with three title defenses already under his belt in the light heavyweight division.

But despite his dominance, Pereira is barely favored to win in his latest fight with many believing he’s facing his biggest obstacle yet in Ankalaev.

With a 19-1 record with one no contest including 10 knockouts and a background in combat sambo, Ankalaev seemingly has the size and power to give Pereira problems no matter where this fight goes. That’s one of the reasons why he’s been championed as the true No. 1 contender in the division for quite some time after he came up short in his previous bid at becoming champion following a split draw with Jan Blachowicz back in 2022.

That setback forced Ankalaev to work a little harder to get back to another title shot and he believes Pereira should be grateful for that fact.

“I wasn’t upset about the last [title] fight,” Ankalaev said. “I have nobody to blame, it’s just myself. We saw the fight. The whole world saw the fight but it happened the way it happened. Now it’s a whole different ballgame. It’s a different fight, it’s a different opponent.

“You know what? Honestly, [Pereira] should say thank you to Dana White for protecting him this whole time. Now it’s going to be a whole different thing.”

While the partisan crowd rarely quieted down much to allow Ankalaev to speak, he did get a few questions from the Russian media assembled — including one question about beating Pereira so bad that he’s forced to give up his fight career and go back to his old job working at a tire shop in Brazil.

Ankalaev couldn’t help but laugh at that one before responding.

“We’re planning on absolutely dominating him on Saturday,” Ankalaev said. “We’re going to make sure that Chama has no chances on Saturday. Whether or not he stays in the sport or decides to go back to the tire shop, that’s going to be up to him. He’s going to be the one that has to make that decision.”

For all the ways Ankalaev expects to win and walk out of UFC 313 as champion, he’s not even contemplating what comes next until he gets through Pereira.

Because Pereira has been such a dominant champion, he could potentially warrant an immediate rematch no matter how the fight plays out but Ankalaev prefers getting the job done first before he starts thinking about that.

“For now we’re not concentrating on what’s going to happen afterwards,” Ankalaev said. “Right now, we’ve got a fight in front of us. Let’s go out there, let’s win and then afterwards we’ll think about who’s going to get the rematch or what.”

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Victor Hugo scored a fabulous finish to cap off UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

Hugo headlined the grappling show in the fourth clash with CJI champion and two-time ADCC silver medalist Nicky Rodriguez, who entered the mat with a 7-1 record under the FPI banner. Rodriguez was looking for payback after going 0-3 against the Brazilian in previous years, but Hugo had the last laugh in the end.

A 4-time IBJJF world champion and black belt under the legend Alexandre Ribeiro, Hugo had weight on his side as made his best to stop every attempt from Rodriguez in regulation. Referee Vitor Ribeiro brought them back up after it reached a stalemate, but neither could advance anywhere near a successful attack.

Overtime began and Hugo pulled guard to avoid takedown points for Rodriguez, again locking themselves in a position in which the Craig Jones protege couldn’t advance. The referee again stood them back up, and this time Hugo surprised by countering a takedown attempt to throw Rodriguez to the mat and immediately take the back to sink in a rear-naked choke for the tap.

Hugo called for a clash with Gordon Ryan following his FPI 10 victory, a rematch of their ADCC 2022 clash that had Ryan win by points (8-0).

“I think there’s only one guy that beat Nicky Rod on this stage,” Hugo said. “He’s not active, but whenever he is, it would be a pleasure, if he’s up to it, to face Gordon Ryan. I think, after getting through Nicky, that’s probably the name that makes the most sense. … I know he’s not healthy, I wasn’t healthy either, so I believe he’s gonna get through that and whenever he’s ready, if he wants to take the challenge, I’ll be here and let’s do it.”

The co-main event had Oliver Taza looking for redemption against Renato Canuto, trying to avenge a 2-0 points loss at the 2019 edition of the ADCC, but came up short one more time. The duo engaged in a very technical and close match, but Canuto scored two points with under 20 seconds left in overtime to secure the win and improve to 4-0 under the FPI banner.

The IBJJF world champion announced after the match that he has signed a four-fight deal with Tuff-N-Uff to make his MMA debut later this year.

The third-to-last match of the night ended with a highlight as Brianna Ste-Marie worked on top and passed the guard in what looked like an arm-triangle choke attempt. With Elisabeth Clay struggling with her arm trapped, however, Ste-Marie pressed for the tap with a Von Flue choke.

Former teammates and roommates Andy Murasaki and Daniel Sathler engaged in a heated clash with more slaps and kicks than submission attempts in regulation, but it all changed in overtime as FPI debutant Murasaki locked a nasty heel hook early for the tap.

The early portion of the FPI card had the new generation of veteran families compete.

Cassia Moura, daughter of Bruno Bastos, took on Andre Galvao’s daughter Sarah Galvao and has her in trouble with a standing rear-naked choke in overtime. Galvao eventually escaped, but the attack secured the four points necessary to guarantee Moura’s victory by points (4-2). Achilles Rocha, son of UFC veteran and jiu-jitsu great Vagner Rocha, went to a draw in points (2-2) with Nathan Haddad after an exciting back and forth battle, and had the judges’ decision go in his favor.

Alex Enriquez and Carlos Henrique did not need judges as they opened the card with slick submissions, forcing Julia Alves and Victor Delibero to tap to a rear-naked choke and armbar.

Watch the finishes below, and click here for complete UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 results.

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Helena Crevar continues to impress on the grappling scene.

The jiu-jitsu phenom took on Maggie Grindatti Lira in the early portion of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10, which went down Thursday night in Las Vegas, and made short work of her opponent, locking in a rare calf slicer and attacking the rear-naked choke to force the verbal submission.

Watch the finish below.

Promoted to brown belt by coach John Danaher in December 2024 after major accomplishments in tournaments such as ADCC, IBJJF and Polaris, Crevar has now won three times under the UFC Fight Pass Invitational banner, two of those via submission. Craver now hopes to earn a shot at a Fight Pass Invitational belt at either 145 or 155 pounds.

“I was definitely looking for a submission,” Craver said after the victory. “I’ve been working on my calf slicer, not just focusing on heel hooks and ankle locks, so I’m really glad to have finished it.”

Click here for complete UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 results.

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