5 fighters who cannot afford to lose at UFC 313

This weekend sees UFC 313 go down in Las Vegas. This event is a huge pay-per-view and, unsurprisingly, some fighters are under serious pressure.

There are a number of fighters set to be in action at UFC 313: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev who simply can't afford to suffer a defeat.

For some of these fighters, a loss would knock them out of title contention. For others, their entire journey in the octagon could be over.

With that considered, here are five fighters who cannot afford to lose at UFC 313: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev.

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#5. Magomed Ankalaev - UFC light heavyweight

There's no doubt that Magomed Ankalaev has the toughest task of his career ahead of him at UFC 313 this weekend.

Not only is the Dagestani star attempting to claim the light heavyweight title after failing in his first attempt, but he's up against one of the most intimidating champions of all time in Alex Pereira.

To be quite frank, if Ankalaev were to lose to 'Poatan', there would be no shame. Pereira is already considered a legend of the octagon, and becoming another victim of his legacy is something that has happened - and will happen - to other great fighters.

However, there will be added pressure on Ankalaev purely because there's an underlying feeling that the UFC brass may not be his biggest fans.

After all, he's needed to go 13 fights unbeaten to get this shot at Pereira. And despite some fans believing he deserved the nod in his title bout with Jan Blachowicz, he was never offered a second shot due to Dana White being unimpressed by his showing.

Therefore, if Ankalaev does lose to Pereira - even if he puts up a good fight - fans might expect him to become a modern-day Jon Fitch, destined to be a gatekeeper who the promotion can't wait to shunt down the card.

To avoid that, then, Ankalaev must overcome the odds and beat 'Poatan' this weekend.

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#4. Bobby 'King' Green - UFC lightweight

One of the bigger underdogs coming into UFC 313 is lightweight veteran Bobby 'King' Green.

Green will be faced with one of the fastest-rising prospects in the division in the form of Mauricio Ruffy. Given what the Fighting Nerds representative has done thus far, most fans expect him to run through the veteran.

Therefore, in many ways, this fight represents a free hit for 'King', who should have nothing to lose. However, taking a step back for a moment, it becomes clear that he really needs to find a way to win this one.

Firstly, Green is coming off one of the worst losses of his career against Paddy Pimblett, an embarrassingly easy first round submission defeat. Secondly, while he's gone 3-2 in his last five bouts, he's also 38 years old. A bad loss to Ruffy, particularly via knockout, would make calls for his retirement become very loud indeed.

Green won't lose his spot on the roster with a defeat, but if he wants to ensure fans don't see him as washed and ready to hang up his gloves, he needs to win.

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#3. Curtis Blaydes - UFC heavyweight

UFC 313's top-billed preliminary fight will see longtime heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes welcome newcomer Rizvan Kuniev to the octagon for the first time. It's safe to say that there's far more pressure on 'Razor' than the Dagestani debutant this weekend.

Blaydes has been around for a long time now, dating back to his debut in 2016. He climbed up into title contention quite quickly, and has essentially been a staple of the top ten since 2018, beating top fighters like Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos.

However, 'Razor' is coming into this fight with his back to the wall somewhat. The last time we saw him in action, he was easily dispatched by Tom Aspinall in their interim title bout.

Despite beating Jailton Almeida prior to that, he's now 1-2 in his last three fights. More to the point, everyone knows that he isn't Dana White's favorite fighter, having had a major spat with the UFC CEO in 2020.

Therefore, while a loss here likely wouldn't result in him being cut, he'd almost certainly find himself shunted down the card and way out of title contention.

If Blaydes wants to remain a relevant contender, then, he not only needs to beat Kuniev, he probably needs to smash him, too.

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#2. Jalin Turner - UFC lightweight

UFC 313's main card is set to feature what sounds like a very exciting lightweight clash between Jalin Turner and Ignacio Bahamondes.

Both men are renowned for their explosive, flashy striking styles, and the bout could absolutely go either way.

However, there's definitely more pressure on Turner than Bahamondes this weekend.

'The Tarantula' is still ranked at No. 13 in the division, but he's definitely on the leanest run he's been on in some time. In fact, since he climbed into the rankings with a win over Brad Riddell in 2022, Turner has only won once.

That fight came against the ageing Bobby 'King' Green, and outside of that, 'The Tarantula' has fallen to Mateusz Gamrot, Dan Hooker and Renato Moicano.

All three of those fighters are excellent in their own right, but it'd be hard to justify Turner remaining in the top fifteen with a loss. Unlike them, 'La Jaula' is not ranked.

Therefore, then, a nasty finish from Bahamondes could be bad news for 'The Tarantula'. It isn't likely, but he could even be cut from the roster.

With that considered, the pressure will absolutely be on Turner to win this weekend.

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#1. Justin Gaethje - UFC lightweight

It's almost certain that the fighter with the most to lose coming into UFC 313 is Justin Gaethje.

'The Highlight' is in absolutely no danger of losing his spot on the roster, of course. He's not only one of Dana White's favorite fighters, but he's also one of the most exciting fighters in UFC history. However, this fight could well mark a crossroads in the career of 'The Highlight'.

Gaethje has not fought since his crazy knockout loss to Max Holloway last April, a loss so nasty that it could well have changed his career for the worse. Given that this will be his comeback fight, questions around his durability are definitely fair.

To add to this, 'The Highlight' will also be faced with a late-notice opponent in the form of Rafael Fiziev. Not only is 'Ataman' coming into this one unprepared, but he's lost to Gaethje pretty decisively before.

With that considered, the former interim lightweight champion should probably be favored to win handily this time around, if he's at his best, of course.

If Gaethje manages to lose, though - particularly if he gets knocked out - then questions will have to be asked. These questions will likely range from whether he ought to consider retiring, to whether his own reckless style has led him to this point.

If 'The Highlight' wants to stay in his spot as a major headline star, then, he can't afford for those questions to be asked. Put simply, more than any other fighter this weekend, Gaethje needs to win.