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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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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Damage
| BJPenn.com

Alvarez shared his thoughts on the shifting boxing landscape and why he chose to fight William Scull over Jake Paul.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is set to fight William Scull on May 3rd in Saudi Arabia as the first fight in a four fight deal with boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh. Thursday saw the first press conference for the bout, but any headlines that generated were largely overshadowed by the announcement that Alalshikh was teaming up with UFC parent company TKO and Dana White to form a new boxing league.

During an interview with CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell, Alvarez shared his thoughts on White’s arrival in boxing and the potential seismic shift it could cause in the sport.

“I think it’s the best for the fighters out there. I’m fine with that,” Canelo said. “I think they’re gonna do the best for the fighters. I’m pretty sure about that. And I’m glad somebody [will] take care of the fighters because there is a lot of promoters who don’t take seriously the fighters, and I think this is good for boxing. For the fighters, especially.”

Considering Canelo is expected to bank career-high paydays under his deal with Turki Alalshikh, it’s unsurprising that he’d have supportive words about Turki’s new league. All signs are pointing towards Alvarez helping kick the promotion off — his superfight against Terence Crawford in September is expected to headline the launch event.

Yeah, always [the] opportunity to fight in September in Las Vegas,” he said of the rumors. “That’s my day. But I need to take care of the May fight first, and then we’ll see about September. But the possibility to fight in September in Las Vegas and be the the first event, tomorrow.”

And Campbell had to ask about Canelo’s decision to ditch a fight against YouTube influencer Jake Paul in favor of the Alalshikh deal. Why would he turn down a massive fight like Paul to fight a relative unknown like Scull?

“Because it’s better for me,” Canelo said simply. “This point in my career, I just wanna continue making history, you know? That [Jake Paul] fight, I don’t even call it a fight. It’s like an event more than a fight. That event can wait until I retire.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

UFC 313 takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results!

After staging fights in Los Angeles and Sydney to open its pay-per-view schedule for 2025, the mixed martial arts leader’s next port of call comes close to its home base in Las Vegas.

One title will be on the line at the top of the card, with Alex Pereira defending his light heavyweight belt against top contender Magomed Ankalaev in the main event. Co-headlining, meanwhile, will be a crucial rematch at 155 pounds between former interim champion Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev.

Also on the main card will be returns for lightweight contender Jalin Turner, former strawweight title challenger Amanda Lemos, and Fighting Nerds standout Mauricio Ruffy.

UFC 313 Weigh-In Video, Results

UFC 313 takes place Saturday, March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT.

See above for a live stream of the UFC 313 Weigh-In Show, and check out the results below.

Main Card:

• Light Heavyweight Championship: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev
• Lightweight: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
• Lightweight: Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
• Women’s Strawweight: Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
• Lightweight: King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy

Preliminary Card:

• Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
• Flyweight: Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya
• Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
• Welterweight: Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal

Early Preliminary Card:

• Featherweight: Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall
• Featherweight: Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castañeda
• Middleweight: Djorden Santos vs. Ozzy Diaz

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