5 takeaways from UFC 313: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

UFC 313 is in the books, and in a bit of a surprise result, we now have a new light-heavyweight champion. That wasn't the only major talking point from last night, though.

UFC 313: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev might've suffered some card changes, but in the end, the event delivered some fantastic action.

With some surprising results and strong performances, then, this event will be remembered for some time.

Here are five takeaways from UFC 313: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev.

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#5. Robbie Lawler is an absolutely worthy entrant to the UFC's Hall of Fame

One of UFC 313's most memorable moments took place outside the octagon. The promotion announced that former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler would be inducted into their Hall of Fame this summer, and showed an emotional 'Ruthless' watching from the crowd.

There's no disputing the fact that Lawler deserves his spot. While he didn't dominate the welterweight division like Georges St-Pierre or his mentor, Matt Hughes did, he was arguably more exciting to watch than either man.

A fighter capable of inflicting incredible violence on his opponents, Lawler's wild brawls with Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit are amongst the greatest fights in UFC history.

Lawler's tale, though, is also an important one for younger fighters to heed. 'Ruthless' first debuted in the octagon in 2002, just months after his 20th birthday. A run of three violent wins quickly established him as a hugely popular prospect to watch.

By 2004, though, the bloom was off the rose. Lawler lost three of his four fights and found himself cut loose by the promotion. It would've been very easy for him to flame out of MMA altogether.

Instead, though, he kept on plugging, fighting in both memorable wins and losses in smaller promotions like Elite XC and ICON Sport.

By the time he'd made his way back to the UFC via Strikeforce in 2013, 'Ruthless' was a much improved fighter, and the biggest successes of his career soon followed.

The moral of the story for younger fighters? Never give up, even if it looks like the top is impossible to reach. Not everyone has a straight path there, instead, most paths are winding - just ask Robbie Lawler.

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#4. Mauricio Ruffy may have scored the best knockout of 2025

Lightweight prospect Mauricio Ruffy came into UFC 313 looking to produce the kind of performance that would not only steal the show in Las Vegas, but could vault him into contention at 155 pounds too.

Remarkably, 'One Shot' not only did both things, he scored a knockout that could well end up being recognised as the best of 2025, too.

Faced with the toughest opponent of his career in veteran Bobby 'King' Green, Ruffy needed just two minutes to make his mark.

He walked Green down, backed him up, and then unleashed a remarkable spinning wheel kick that switched off the veteran's lights. 'King' slumped to the ground face-first, and Ruffy didn't even need to follow up.

The kick was reminiscent of the legendary one scored by Edson Barboza against Terry Etim in 2012, and should have the same star-making effect.

Prior to this, the Fighting Nerds team member had some hype around his name, but now it'll be impossible to ignore. The top fifteen, and probably a headline or co-headline bout next time out surely beckon for the Brazilian - as does a spot on one of the UFC's all-time highlight reels.

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#3. Ignacio Bahamondes can give problems to anyone in the lightweight division

While his finish wasn't as explosive as fellow lightweight prospect Mauricio Ruffy's, Ignacio Bahamondes' win at UFC 313 was no less impressive.

The native of Chile shut down his first-ranked opponent in the form of Jalin Turner, tapping him out with a slick triangle choke in the first round.

The win moved 'La Jaula' onto a three-fight win streak. He's now won six of his last seven bouts, and last night was his third Performance of the Night bonus in a row, too.

Turner, a violent knockout artist who's no mug on the ground in his own right, was supposed to heavily test Bahamondes. Instead, he didn't really get out of first gear after landing an early takedown and attempting to work from the top.

Given the ease at which he dispatched 'The Tarantula', Bahamondes may well be ready for another step up.

Thankfully, the lightweight division has plenty of veterans available, meaning that the promotion should be able to keep him and Ruffy apart for now at least. Based on their showings, the 155-pound division has a bright future indeed.

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#2. Justin Gaethje showed that he isn't shot just yet in yet another war

Coming into UFC 313, the big question around Justin Gaethje was whether the bad knockout he suffered at the hands of Max Holloway last year would affect his overall career detrimentally.

While 'The Highlight' ended up facing Rafael Fiziev on late notice rather than Dan Hooker, Gaethje proved that there's still plenty of life in him yet.

Clearly concerned about his gas tank after taking the fight on short notice, Fiziev came out hard in the first round, attacking Gaethje with big shots to the body and even taking him down at one point.

However, once Justin Gaethje found his range in the second, he clearly took over. He came close to a big finish with an uppercut, ripped into 'Ataman' with more power strikes, and clearly outlanded his foe.

In the end, Gaethje won a clear-cut decision, claiming his second win over Fiziev. While Fiziev definitely had nothing to be ashamed of here, the overarching story belonged to Gaethje. Far from being shot after the Holloway fight, 'The Highlight' clearly still has plenty to offer to the lightweight division.

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#1. Magomed Ankalaev's approach wasn't pretty, but it got him past a gun-shy Alex Pereira

UFC 313's headliner ended with a bit of a shocker, as Magomed Ankalaev unseated Alex Pereira to become the new light-heavyweight champion.

Coming into the bout, while there were theories that Ankalaev could be kryptonite for 'Poatan', most fans couldn't see past another violent win for the Brazilian.

Instead, though, a curiously gun-shy Pereira was outpointed by the Dagestani, despite a strong first round that saw him chop at Ankalaev's legs impressively.

It's true that the challenger's approach wasn't pretty. His gameplan appeared to be to work Pereira over in the clinch, slowing him down to open him up for takedowns or strikes.

While the former didn't happen, the latter certainly did, with the key blow coming in the second round. With seconds to go in that stanza, Ankalaev stunned Pereira with a huge left hand, leaving him badly wobbled.

It's arguable that 'Poatan' never really got back into the fight. He certainly wasn't able to open up as he'd done against foes like Khalil Rountree Jr. or Jiri Prochazka. Whether that was because he was more hurt than anyone realised, or because Ankalaev's southpaw stance made him harder to hit are both good theories.

Either way, though, Pereira can complain about Ankalaev's clinch-heavy approach all he likes. The fact is that he simply didn't get enough done to win the fight - and the stats would appear to back this up, too.

While the Dagestani might not be as marketable a champion as Pereira, then, there's no disputing that he's the best 205-pounder in the UFC right now. It's going to take something special to snap his seven-year unbeaten run.