UFC News & FeaturesThe Hit List: Can’t-Miss Fights of March
As far as must-see attractions in mixed martial arts are concerned, reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira ranks at or near the top of the list.
The Brazilian boogeyman will defend his undisputed 205-pound crown in a long-awaited showdown with Magomed Ankalaev when they headline UFC 313 on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pereira, 37, has blossomed into a fully formed superstar, from his terrifying entrances to his devastating knockout power. He enters his latest assignment on the strength of five consecutive victories, four of them finishes. Pereira last saw action at UFC 307, where he bludgeoned Khalil Rountree to a fourth-round technical knockout on Oct. 5. Ankalaev finds himself on a modest two-fight winning streak. The decorated sambo practitioner last fought on Oct. 28, when he took a unanimous decision from Aleksandar Rakic in their three-round encounter at UFC 309. A stunning last-second submission defeat to Paul Craig in 2018 and a split draw with Jan Blachowicz in 2022 are the only blemishes on the 32-year-old Ankalaev’s resume.
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UFC 313
March 8 | Las Vegas
A rematch serves as the co-main event for the UFC’s third pay-per-view of 2025, with Gaethje front and center for what promises to be another exercise in violence. The former World Series of Fighting champion was awarded a majority decision over Fiziev in their first meeting at UFC 286 two years ago. Gaethje last competed at UFC 300, where his epic clash with Max Holloway concluded with him facedown and unconscious after and unforgettable 24:59 on April 13. It put an end to a modest two-fight winning streak for the longtime Trevor Wittman protégé. Fiziev heads into his second engagement with “The Highlight” on the heels of back-to-back losses. He has not suited-up since suffering a fight-ending knee injury against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Fight Night 228 in September 2023.
KSW 104
March 8 | Gorzow, Poland
The interim Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki middleweight title will be up for grabs when the once-beaten Kuberski dukes it out with Romanowski at Arena Gorzow. Incumbent champion Pawel Pawlak has not fought since July and does not currently have a return date set. A 15-1 record buoyed by a 12-fight winning streak has thrust Kuberski into the spotlight as he traverses his mid-30s. The Ankos MMA and American Top Team product boasts 13 finishes—all of them by knockout or technical knockout—among his 15 professional victories. Seasoned and well-traveled, Romanowski figures to provide a stern test, if nothing else. The 36-year-old Berserker’s Team rep has been a promotional mainstay for nearly five years.
UFC Fight Night 255
March 22 | London
UFC matchmakers granted Brady’s wish to once again challenge one of the welterweight division’s golden geese. On the fringes of contention for some time now, the Philadelphia native fills in for Jack Della Maddalena and draws a former champion in Edwards. A victory in the five-round main event, particularly a decisive one, would likely put Brady in the conversation for a title shot in the not-too-distant future. The Daniel Gracie-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt sports a stellar 7-1 record across his eight appearances in the UFC, his recent profile boosted by consecutive wins over Kelvin Gastelum and Gilbert Burns. Edwards has lost only once in the past nine years, as he wound up on the wrong side of a five-round unanimous decision against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304, where he surrendered the undisputed welterweight crown on July 27.
LFA 205
March 28 | Brasilia, Brazil
Pires and Abojer are set to determine the fate of the vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance bantamweight championship when they toe the line against one another in South America. John Sweeney lost the company’s 135-pound title on the scale in July. Pires steps back into view on a 10-fight unbeaten streak during which he has compiled a 9-0 record with one no contest. The Otavio Carneiro disciple last fought on Nov. 22, when he disposed of Jhon Tacha with a second-round triangle choke at LFA 197. Abojer has pieced together five straight wins, all of them via submission, at a most opportune time. The 27-year-old Argentinian put away Apollo Gomes with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their LFA 187 pairing on July 6 to improve to 11-2.
UFC on ESPN 64
March 29 | Mexico City
Moreno visits his native Mexico for the fourth time as a member of the UFC roster when he attempts to take the next step in his quest toward a third reign as flyweight champion. Easily one of the promotion’s most bankable commodities South of the Border, “The Assassin Baby” has never been finished in 32 professional appearances. Moreno, 31, snapped a two-fight skid his last time out, as he outpointed Amir Albazi to a five-round unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 246 in November. In his way stands Erceg. The physically unassuming but offensively potent Aussie emerged as an unlikely title contender in 2024, though consecutive losses to Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France—the latter by first-round technical knockout at UFC 305 on Aug. 17—have cooled some of the hype surrounding him.
Rizin 50
March 29 | Kagawa, Japan
Inoue transitions from the hunter to the hunted when he defends the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight championship for the first time. The 27-year-old has reclaimed some of the magic that once made him one of the sport’s top prospects and led to a brief two-fight stint in the UFC in 2017. Inoue carries an outstanding 18-4 record into his latest assignment, highlighted by victories in eight of his 10 bouts under the Rizin banner. He laid claim to the organization’s vacant bantamweight belt on Sept. 29, when he buried Soo Chul Kim with punches in the first round of their Rizin 48 battle. Inoue already holds a win over Motoya, having submitted him with a rear-naked choke at a New Year’s Eve show in 2020.
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