Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev: UFC 313 Picks, Predictions and Odds

The month of March is already here and is set to bring a ton of entertaining fight cards, perhaps none more so than UFC 313, which features a Light Heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev as the Main Event.

UFC 313 is scheduled to begin on Saturday March 8 and will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The fight card will kick off at 6:30 PM ET, starting with the Early Preliminary Card. Following this, the Preliminary Card will begin at approximately 8 PM ET and then the Main Card at 10 PM ET.

Our article will focus on breaking down the Main Event between Pereira and Ankalaev by giving you our two best bets for this title fight.

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev UFC 313 betting picks and predictions

Alex Pereira Money Line (-125)

Our first best bet for the title fight between Pereira and Ankalaev will target the former to win and retain his Light Heavyweight title.

Pereira enters this fight with an MMA record of 12-2 and 9-1 in the UFC. He has established himself as an excellent striker, averaging 5.46 significant strikes per minute, and has a striking accuracy of 63%.

As for his defense, Pereira absorbs 3.44 significant strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 55%. His grappling is not nearly as strong, averaging just 0.14 takedowns every 15 minutes.

That said, Pereira has a takedown accuracy of 100% and a takedown defense of 70%.

Understandably, Pereira is the small favorite here as he is the one who currently holds the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

Even then, he still looks to be the best betting option. This is because he has far better striking compared to Ankalaev, plus his takedown defense is strong enough to cancel any advantage the Russian may have in that area.

Pereira has also won five UFC fights in a row, beating some of the best Light Heavyweights in the UFC. For that reason, backing Pereira to win at -125 will be our best bet.

Fight to End by KO/TKO (-135)

Our second best bet for this fight will focus on backing this fight to end by KO/TKO.

Most notably, Pereira has seen seven of his last eight UFC fights end by KO/TKO, which includes each of his last four UFC fights.

As for Ankalaev, he has seen two of his last four UFC fights also end by KO/TKO.

Because both Pereira and Ankalaev have had a high finish rate recently, backing this fight to end by KO/TKO at -135 will be our second best bet for Saturday.

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev UFC 313 odds

	Alex Pereira	Magomed Ankalaev
Money Line	-125	+100
By Decision or Technical Decision	+650	+333
By KO, TKO or DQ	+130	+333
By Submission	+1600	+850

Total Rounds	Over	Under
1.5	-330	+230
2.5	-155	+115
3.5	+105	-145
4.5	+165	-225

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.