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UFC 313: main card rundown
- jacobraw123
- Mar 12, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 19, 2025
The highly anticipated UFC 313 card has concluded, and it's fair to say it didn't disappoint fight fans around the globe, with knockouts, viral moments, and all-out wars.
MAIN CARD
To get things rolling, we had a barn burner of a fight at 155lbs.
UFC veteran Bobby 'King' Green, was looking for a win coming off the back of a submission loss to Paddy Pimblett.
However, this match-up was no easy bounce-back bout for Green as he took on one of the hottest prospects in the division, Mauricio Ruffy.
The fight lasted just over two minutes with Ruffy applying the pressure from the opening bell.
The fight ended in spectacular fashion with Ruffy backing Green up to the fence before unleashing a devastating spinning heel hick which put Green face first out cold.
The Brazilian had already been getting comparisons to Conor McGregor and went on to land one of McGregor's signature moves to end the fight, sending shockwaves through the MMA universe.
Ruffy then went on to claim the 'Performance of the Night' bonus and walked away with an extra $50k to his name.
Next up was a woman's strawweight bout between number fifth-ranked Amanda Lemos and 23-year-old prospect Iasmin Lucindo who was ranked seventh in the world coming into UFC 313.
Interestingly, despite there being a 14-year age gap between the combatants, the young 23-year-old had racked up more professional fights.
Lucindo was looking to put the rest of the division on notice and make a statement with a win over Lemos.
The fight featured some elite-level grappling and some intense striking exchanges.
Lucindo seemed the aggressor on the feet and pushed the pace throughout their 15-minute bout.
The fight went the distance with Amanda Lemos leaving as the victor via unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28.
The fight was up for debate online as some fans scored it the opposite way around.
One thing is for sure, and that is Iasmin Lucindo isn't going anywhere and she is 100% legit.
Jalin 'The Tarantula' Turner had been out for almost a year since his last fight, which came at the famed UFC 300 against Renato Moicano, where he lost after almost winning but for ground and pound hesitation after a knockdown.
Something always seems to happen in a Jalin Turner fight, and he was up against Chilean Ignacio Bahamondes who was coming off an exciting two-fight winning streak, both from TKO victories.
As expected, this fight delivered for the fans, right before the co-main event, with a first round finish.
After Turner found early success on the feet, he was taken down to the ground by Bahamondes who was relentless as he delivered vicious downward elbows, opening space for a triangle choke.
Turner did his best to escape the choke but he eventually had to tap, extending his losing streak to three, while Bahamondes extended his winning streak to three straight finishes in a row.
After the fight, it appeared Turner took his gloves off and laid them in the centre of the ring, which is usually an indication of retirement.
The 29-year-old then confirmed post-fight the decision to retire from the game at such a young age, revealing he has been contemplating retirement since his last loss, and has now closed the door on a sadly unfulfilled career.
All the best, Jalin.
After their five-round war won fight of the night at UFC London in 2023, it was time for a show-stopping rematch.
Rafael Fiziev stepped in on short notice for 313, as Justin Gaethje was originally scheduled to fight Dan Hooker, but 'The Hangman' was forced to withdraw due to a hand injury.
This was a risky move by Fiziev who had been out since 2023 after suffering a knee injury in his fight with Mateusz Gamrot.
In addition, Gaethje already defeated Fiziev in their first bout, but Fiziev was in great shape after his hiatus and sought revenge.
A close first round was edged by Fiziev, as he landed some good shots but ultimately stole the round with a takedown, followed by some good work on the ground, almost pulling off a reverse triangle choke.
Everybody knows Justin Gaethje loves an uppercut, partner that with Fiziev's tendency to duck his head down in exchanges and you get what was seen in round 2.
Gaethje landed a brutal uppercut which knocked Fiziev down and on his back, but Rafael managed to survive and saw out what was a great round for all MMA fans tuning in.
In the last round, both men gave everything,
Fiziev landed some nasty knees to the body from the clinch, having had success doing this the whole fight.
Both men were throwing head kicks and powerful blows but neither could knock each other's resolve!
The fight went the distance and again both men received a standing ovation for a beautiful portrayal of MMA.
All three judges scored the contest 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Justin 'The Highlight' Gaethje.
Gaethje walked away the winner again and was heard telling Fiziev: "Let's not fight each other again man... unless it's for a title!"
The fight was awarded 'Fight of the Night' and both men received a $50k bonus, who would've thought?
Finally the main event, the moment everyone in the arena and around the world had been waiting for.
Light-heavyweight champ, Alex 'Poatan' Pereira, had the chance to cement his legacy as one of the greatest LHW champions of all time against his toughest test to date, Magomed Ankalaev.
There were big question marks coming into this one as Pereira, who has been on a storybook run in the UFC since transitioning from kickboxing, had not yet been tested in the wrestling department.
No one could've cherry-picked a harder test for Pereira than Ankalaev who hails from Dagestan in Russia, a place renowned for forcing their young fighters to wrestle with young bears.
For every PPV main event, the legendary Bruce Buffer is there to amp the fighters and the crowd up, and before the main event started, another historic moment was created.
When announcing the champion, he referred to the Brazilian as 'the one, the only' making him one of only three to be graced with that title by Buffer, alongside Jon Jones and Conor McGregor.
The arena was pumping with adrenaline waiting for the opening bell, as both men had one final intense stare-down before the fight started.
Early doors Pereira was using his unique and effective leg kicks, a smart move, as statistically Ankalaev has struggled to defend leg kicks in previous fights.
Ankalaev shot for his first takedown late on in the round but Pereira stayed on his feet.
In the corner, Pereira's team were instructing him to keep chopping away at Ankalaev's already compromised leg.
However, in the second round, Ankalaev was having success on the feet, piecing up the champ with jabs, straights, and hooks, before badly hurting the champ right before the end of the round.
Poatan went back to his corner at the bell looking in serious trouble.
Ankalaev came into the third with momentum and was relentless in his pursuit of gold, again tagging the champ in close exchanges.
Pereira also landed some good shots but it was looking like 2-1 to the challenger at this point.
Ankalaev, confident he was ahead in the fight, decided to turn up the grappling and wrestling in the fourth and had the champ against the fence for a lot of the round.
Although Pereira did well to defend takedowns, he was on the back foot for most of the round, with the Russian commanding the Octagon.
With the fight swinging the way of the challenger, the champion needed either a finish or a big round to have a chance of winning the fight.
Pereira found success on the feet and landed a head kick in the fifth, but Ankalaev weathered the champ's best shots, something most men who have faced Pereira cannot say.
Pereira defended more takedowns which is always appreciated by judges, but he couldn't find the big finish that most felt he needed.
The scores were in, and the judges scored it 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 to crown the new light-heavyweight champion of the world, Magomed Ankalaev.
An unforgettable run comes to an end for Pereira but a new era starts with Ankalaev.
Talk has already begun for a rematch with both men seeming up for it, but for now, Ankalaev can enjoy his monumental victory.
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