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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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Thoughts
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UFC

Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, has an opportunity to clean out the 205-pound division with a victory over No. 1-ranked title contender, Magomed Ankalaev, atop the UFC 313 pay-per-view (PPV) event this Sat. night (March 8, 2025) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

That could pave the way for a potential Jon Jones super fight, or send “Poatan” back down to the middleweight division (win or lose). The 37 year-old Pereira lost his 185-pound strap to Israel Adesanya in their UFC 287 rematch and does not have a middleweight title defense to his credit.

“I think it depends upon how the fight goes,” UFC 313 play-by-play commentator, Jon Anik, told MMA Fighting. “If Magomed Ankalaev beats Alex Pereira 50-45, and dominates him over 25 minutes, that wouldn’t lay the foundation for a rematch as much as, say, a quick Ankalaev knockout, because ‘Poatan’ has established so much goodwill with the fan base, with the promotion, and you parlay that with the fact that there aren’t a lot of obvious light heavyweight contenders right now. You got Jamahal Hill fighting Khalil Rountree, right? But are you gonna do Ankalaev versus Bogdan Guskov right now? I’m not sure you’re going to do that.”

Guskov (17-3) is the winner of three straight and is currently ranked No. 13 at 205 pounds.

“The one thing that I will say, Alex Pereira can still make middleweight, and he wants to fight Dricus du Plessis,” Anik continued. “He did not defend the UFC middleweight championship. Of all the accolades for the future UFC Hall of Famer Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira, he never defended the middleweight championship, and if you think for a second that he doesn’t have an appetite, no pun intended, to go back down to 185 [pounds], you’re absolutely crazy. And if the calendar doesn’t align for him to challenge Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall in the heavyweight division, I don’t think he’s going stick around at 205 to fight Bogdan Guskov, even though you and I f*cking love the guy. He’s probably going try to go down to 185 and fight Dricus du Plessis.”

UFC CEO, Dana White, is already on board.

Du Plessis has agreed to fight Pereira, but not before defending his middleweight title against unbeaten 185-pound contender, Khamzat Chimaev. The promotion has yet to book that upcoming title fight though an announcement seems imminent.

Jones, meanwhile, has his own announcement to worry about.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 313 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 313 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 313: “Pereira vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 313 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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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Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions has solidified its commitment to Amanda Serrano, the Ring, WBA, and WBO featherweight champion, by signing her to a lifetime deal.

This announcement, which coincides with the confirmation of Serrano’s highly anticipated trilogy fight against Katie Taylor, marks a long-term partnership that extends beyond her active boxing career.

The agreement ensures Serrano will fight exclusively under the MVP banner for the remainder of her professional boxing journey. Additionally, she will take on the role of chairwoman of MVP’s women’s boxing initiatives, where she will lead efforts to discover, sign, develop, and promote female athletes within the company.

The upcoming Serrano-Taylor trilogy fight, scheduled for July 11 at Madison Square Garden, will headline an all-female fight card. There is a possibility that some of the women MVP is working with will appear on the undercard.

This event follows their previous encounter in November 2024, where Taylor secured a controversial unanimous decision victory in a bout that achieved record-breaking viewership. It became the most-watched professional women’s sports event in U.S. history, drawing 74 million live viewers globally.

The storied rivalry between Serrano and Taylor has captivated audiences, and their upcoming trilogy fight is expected to be another landmark event.

Jake Paul took to X to tout the upcoming Netflix fight, even stating that his fighter will surpass UFC legend Ronda Rousey’s peak purse.

“When Amanda Serrano enters the ring on July 11th, she will become the highest-paid woman in sports history for a single event. ALL SPORTS. Ronda Rousey had the record previously,” Jake Paul wrote.

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