UFC 313 live updates: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev results, round-by-round analysis and highlights

Alex Pereira defends his UFC light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photos: Getty Images via Zuffa LLC. Design: Bruno Rouby, Yahoo Sports.)

Uncrowned has UFC 313 results, live round-by-round updates, start time and highlights for the Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev fight card on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira seeks the fourth consecutive defense of his title against the man long believed to be his potential kryptonite, top-ranked 205-pound contender Ankalaev.

Pereira (12-2) is Uncrowned’s No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, while Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) is unbeaten over his past 13 straight UFC bouts — the second-best mark in the division’s history.

Pereira, 37, is also a former UFC middleweight champion as well as a former two-division champion in GLORY Kickboxing. “Poatan” nearly captured 2024’s Fighter of the Year award with a flawless 3-0 campaign that saw him notch a trio of successful title defenses over Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr., all of which ended in vicious knockouts. In total, Pereira is 9-1 over 10 UFC appearances since 2021, though he faces perhaps his toughest test against Dagestan’s Ankalaev.

Ankalaev, 32, has long been considered to be one of the most talented light heavyweights in the world, however his road back to a shot at undisputed gold has been a struggle. He’s been forced to compete three times since a late 2022 opportunity at the then-vacant title against Jan Blachowicz ended in a controversial split draw. He finally punched that ticket back to the top in 2024 with back-to-back wins over Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakic. With a strong wrestling base in his skill set, Ankalaev presents a far different challenge to the champion than Pereira faced against the strikers of his recent defenses.

In the co-main event, former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje (25-5) rematches short-notice replacement opponent Rafael Fiziev (12-3) in a hard-hitting lightweight bout.

UFC 313’s start time for the preliminary card is at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The main card begins live at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Follow along with Uncrowned’s live UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev results and live blog below.