LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 14: Dana White meets with the press following Vegas 67 at UFC Apex for UFC … [+]
The UFC 313 pay-per-view card scheduled for March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas may be complete. There are only 11 fights, but with less than a month to go—unless they’re moving a bout from the March 1 card—it’s tough to imagine another fight being added.
The most recent fight added to the card will see No. 13 Jalin Turner taking on rising lightweight Ignacio Bahamondes.
Turner is long at 6-foot-3, but he has found himself in a tough stretch. He has lost three of his last four fights—including a disappointing second-round TKO defeat to Renato Moicano in April 2024 at UFC 300.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 13: Jalin Turner prepares to fight in a lightweight fight during the UFC … [+]
Turner was in control in the first round. In fact, he had Moicano down and nearly out, but rather than finishing the fight, he walked away before the referee’s signal.
That move turned out to be a massive mistake.
Moicano rebounded to finish him in the second round. Now, Turner finds himself in a must-win situation if he hopes to remain ranked. Bahamondes will almost certainly take the ranking if he wins.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 14: Ignacio Bahamondes of Chile reacts after defeating Manuel Torres … [+]
Bahamondes is heading in the opposite direction.
He’s won two fights in a row and has earned a performance bonus in both victories. Here is a look at the rest of the card, and it looks excellent on paper.
- (c) Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev – UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
- Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker – Lightweight
- Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo – Strawweight
- King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy – Lightweight
- Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes – Lightweight
- Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan – Middleweight
- Ozzy Diaz vs. Djorden Santos – Middleweight
- Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal – Welterweight
- Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall – Featherweight
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev – Heavyweight
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Joshua Van – Flyweight
The main event between Pereira and Ankalaev could be the champion’s most impressive win or the kryptonite for the Brazilian Superman. Ankalaev would appear to have the skill set to give Pereira trouble—if he wrestles.
If he doesn’t attempt to take Pereira down, he’ll likely meet the same fate as most of Poatan’s past opponents in the UFC. Even if he wrestles, there is no guarantee he’d hold Pereira down, as it is obvious the champion has worked tirelessly to improve in that area.
If Pereira beats Ankalaev, there is nothing left for him to do but attempt to become the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion.
The co-main event will almost certainly be a war. Justin Gaethje faces Dan Hooker, and quite honestly, if Hooker wins by KO, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Gaethje hang up the gloves. There is a chance Gaethje’s last loss, the hellacious KO at the hands of Max Holloway in April 2024 at UFC 300, took something out of him. Are Gaethje’s days as “The Human Highlight” over?
We’ll get answers to that question and others on March 8.
