5 undercard fighters who could steal the show at UFC 313

UFC 313 takes place this weekend in Las Vegas. While most of the focus will be on the headline bout, the overall card depth here is excellent.

Due to its strong card, UFC 313: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev features a number of undercard fighters who could steal the show. These fighters will, of course, need to be at their best, but if they can produce what they're capable of, something special could occur.

Here are five undercard fighters who could steal the show at UFC 313: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev.

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#5. Mairon Santos - UFC featherweight contender

Last weekend's UFC Fight Night event was supposed to see TUF 32 middleweight winner Ryan Loder appear in the co-headliner. However, he withdrew due to injury.

The reality show's featherweight winner Mairon Santos, though, will not enjoy the same kind of spotlight this weekend, even if he's fighting at a bigger event.

'The Legend' is set to face off with Francis Marshall on the early preliminary portion of the card. However, if he fights how he did in his octagon debut last year, he could still steal the show.

Santos made his way to the TUF finale using his striking skills and then uncorked one of 2024's best knockouts to stop Kaan Ofli in the second round of their clash.

The Brazilian should be favored to defeat Marshall this weekend, as the latter doesn't appear to possess the wrestling chops to smother him for three rounds.

Therefore, if Santos can use his quick hands to land a similar knockout to the one he unleashed in his debut, he could definitely steal the show and find himself $50k richer in the process.

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#4. Brunno Ferreira - UFC middleweight contender

While it's unlikely that Brunno Ferreira will ever develop into a contender for the UFC middleweight title thanks to his one-dimensional style, his approach does practically guarantee excitement every time he fights.

'The Hulk' is essentially a pure power-puncher, something that is clear from his record. In his 14 professional fights, he's never gone the distance, and of his 12 wins, nine are by KO or TKO.

In the octagon, while he's suffered disappointing losses to Nursulton Ruziboev and Abus Magomedov, he's scored violent knockouts against Dustin Stoltzfus, Phil Hawes and — perhaps most impressively — Gregory Rodrigues.

This weekend will see Ferreira face an opponent who should be more than happy to strike with him. Armen Petrosyan is a skilled striker in his own right, but he doesn't possess the same kind of power that 'The Hulk' does.

It feels, therefore, like this fight could be a good one for Ferreira. His last two wins have given him a $50k bonus, and it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see him claim another this weekend.

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#3. Joshua Van - UFC flyweight contender

In most instances, it can take a fighter years to reach the UFC after they turn professional. That was not the case for flyweight contender Joshua Van, who is back in action this weekend.

Van won his first professional bout in October 2021, and less than two years later — sporting a record of 7-1 — he was signed by the world's top MMA promotion.

Since then, 'The Fearless' has become one of the flyweight division's best prospects. He's reeled off five wins while losing just once, all in less than two years.

Van is not yet the best finisher in the division — only one of his wins has come via knockout — but he's still a whirlwind of action to watch. In fact, he currently holds the UFC record for the highest number of significant strikes landed per minute with 8.88.

This weekend's event pits Van against a fellow prospect in the form of Rei Tsuruya, but while the Japanese fighter looks skilled, he isn't as battle-tested as 'The Fearless'.

Therefore, this fight might offer Van a good chance of scoring the second KO finish of his octagon career. And if he can do that, he could steal the show too.

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#2. Ignacio Bahamondes - UFC lightweight contender

With three 'Performance of the Night' awards to his name in his near-four-year UFC career, it's safe to say that Ignacio Bahamondes is one of the lightweight division's most flashy strikers. The Chilean has scored five wins in the octagon thus far, with four coming via finish.

'La Jaula' is probably still best remembered for his 2021 wheelkick knockout of Roosevelt Roberts, but 2024 was his best year yet. Bahamondes dispatched two tricky foes in Christos Giagos and Manuel Torres, both via knockout.

This weekend pits the Chilean against an interesting opponent in Jalin Turner. 'The Tarantula' is likely to look to stand and trade with him, and he possesses a similar languid style to Bahamondes.

While Turner has more high-end experience, 'La Jaula' is definitely capable of taking him out too, and if he does so, it's likely to be in highlight-reel fashion. This makes the Chilean a prime candidate for an undercard fighter who could steal the show this weekend.

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#1. Mauricio Ruffy - UFC lightweight contender

It's arguable that outside of the top two fights on the card, the fighter with the most hype coming into UFC 313 is lightweight Mauricio Ruffy.

A member of the famed Fighting Nerds team, Ruffy has only won two fights in the octagon to this point, stopping Jamie Mullarkey and outpointing James Llontop.

However, the Brazilian has quickly picked up a cult following for his full-throttle approach. He violently starched Mullarkey, smashing his nose with a flying knee before finishing him with a salvo of punches. And while Llontop survived the distance, quite how he did so was anyone's guess after eating some huge shots in the first two rounds.

This weekend will see Ruffy against arguably the perfect opponent for him right now in Bobby 'King' Green.

Green is a well-respected veteran who is still capable of pulling off wins, but he's also compromised in terms of his durability and isn't as explosive as he was in his prime.

Therefore, this fight feels like a big opportunity for Ruffy to really make a name for himself, and if he can unleash the violence he's capable of, he could steal the show too.