Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev keys to victory; breaking down tactics of each fighter at UFC 313

Alex Pereira had a monstrous 2024, finishing three opponents by knockout in less than a six-month span.

Now, “Poatan” returns to the Octagon, looking to record his fourth defense of the light heavyweight world championship within a year as he clashes with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 inside of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.

Pereira (12-2) is coming off a fourth-round TKO (punches) of Khalil Rountree Jr. in October, while Ankalaev (19-1-1 with 1 No Contest) produced a unanimous decision against Aleksandar Rakic in October as well.

With the stakes riding high, DAZN News analyzes the keys to victory for both fighters.

Alex Pereira’s keys to victory

Utilize leg kicks

Pereira has some riveting leg kicks to his fight arsenal and he should use them to weaken Ankalaev’s base early on into this fight.

Some early leg kicks could pave open lanes for Pereira to unleash his heavy hands upstairs.

Let hands go                           

Ankalaev has power in his hands, but Pereira’s one-punch power is truly generational and already at legendary status.

“Poatan” will likely get all the intel he needs from Ankalaev’s chin in real time, upon connecting with his first couple of shots.

His hands could very well be the method used to record his fourth straight light heavyweight title defense.

Anticipate Ankalaev’s takedown attempts

Ankalaev’s wrestling could be a major advantage for the challenger if he’s able to secure a takedown and allow his grappling skills to sap the champion’s energy.

Pereira does have solid takedown defense, and for this bout he will have to anticipate Ankalaev shooting for a takedown. The better he could do that and thwart Ankalaev’s attempts, the better his chances are to retain the light heavyweight world title on the feet.

Magomed Ankalaev’s keys to victory

Connect with overhand rights

Ankalaev unleashes his overhand rights with detonating power.

If he could connect on the shot, especially after fatiguing Pereira with grappling, it will be intriguing to see how the champion responds.

Launch the head kick

Ankalaev’s head kicks could be another weapon utilized against Pereira and they should be as long as the challenger can brace himself for countering impact once they’re attempted.

If fired and missed, Ankalaev has to instantly be sharp on defense.

Take Pereira down

No surprise here: Ankalaev’s ability to take Pereira down and keep him down could spell the difference between him walking out the Octagon as champion or not.

The more successful Ankalaev is with his striking, he could make Pereira ripe for the picking with a takedown toward the challenger becoming a world champion.