3 biggest storylines ahead of UFC 313

UFC 313 is upon us.

In Saturday's main event, Alex Pereira will defend the light heavyweight title for the fourth time against Magomed Ankalaev. And in the co-headliner, former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will face off with Rafael Fiziev in a rematch.

Here are three key storylines ahead of the UFC's return to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Can Pereira beat his boogeyman?

A few years ago, Pereira was Israel Adesanya's boogeyman. He was the cloud hanging over Adesanya's middleweight title reign - and then became the man to end it.

Now, Pereira has a boogeyman of his own. Ankalaev has been hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce, ever since Pereira captured the light heavyweight title in 2023. Even after Pereira solidified himself as the promotion's top 205-pounder with consecutive defenses against Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr., the conversation has always gone back to Ankalaev, the No. 1-ranked contender who's long overdue for another crack at UFC gold.

The truth is, Pereira hasn't fought someone like Ankalaev in the Octagon. And this, at least on paper, will be the biggest challenge of his light heavyweight title reign so far. Ankalaev is well-rounded with knockout power and the ability to control his opponents on the ground. Fans have been eager to see whether Pereira can deal with Ankalaev's grappling, and we'll finally find out this weekend if Ankalaev has, in fact, been the uncrowned king all along.

If Pereira remains champion, the victory would be an extremely impressive feather in his cap and would continue to strengthen his case as an all-time great.

Will Ankalaev use his grappling?

Ankalaev has a clear path to victory against Pereira in the wrestling department. And the odds indicate this: Saturday's main event is essentially a coin toss, with theScore Bet listing Ankalaev as a -105 underdog.

But the big question is how often Ankalaev will try to initiate grappling exchanges. Some like to think Ankalaev is a Khabib Nurmagomedov-esque wrestler who chains together takedown attempts and mauls his opponents, but he isn't. In fact, Ankalaev didn't attempt a takedown in his last two wins over Aleksandar Rakic and Johnny Walker. And he hasn't attempted - and secured - more than one takedown in a fight since December 2022 against Jan Blachowicz.

Even Ankalaev isn't certain - or so he says - about how much he'll wrestle Pereira.

"We'll come out there in the stand-up, and then we'll see what happens," Ankalaev said through an interpreter at Wednesday's UFC 313 media day, according to MMA Junkie's Danny Segura and Ken Hathaway.

Some would argue Ankalaev's wrestling has been an underutilized weapon throughout his UFC career. He'd be wise to take full advantage of his ground game against Pereira.

How will Gaethje look after KO loss to Holloway?

Gaethje is stepping into the Octagon for the first time since dropping the BMF title to Max Holloway in a Knockout of the Year defeat at UFC 300 last April.

Not only is the 36-year-old coming back from a devastating loss, but he's facing a short-notice replacement after Dan Hooker withdrew last week due to injury.

If anyone can get back on track against Fiziev and re-insert themselves into the lightweight title conversation, it's Gaethje, one of the UFC's toughest, most entertaining fighters. But Father Time is undefeated, and at Gaethje's age, it wouldn't be a total shock to see him start declining soon.

Gaethje's performance against Fiziev - whom he defeated by majority decision in a thrilling fight in March 2023 - will let everyone know whether "The Highlight" is still one of the best at 155 pounds.