"Fighting Nerds" star meets lightweight vet on Pereira vs. Ankalaev card at UFC 313

The lightweight matchup could be a contender for "Fight of the Night" at UFC 313.

Jason Silva-Imagn Images

A high-profile lightweight matchup that should produce some serious fireworks has been added to UFC 313 in Las Vegas, NV.

King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy Booked For UFC 313

Scheduled to take place at T-Mobile Arena on March 8, UFC 313 features a highly-anticipated main event between defending UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira and #1 contender Magomed Ankalaev.

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Ankalaev previously fought for the vacant light heavyweight belt against former titleholder Jan Błachowicz in 2022, and following back-to-back wins the 32-year-old will try to unseat Pereira after the Brazilian stopped all three fighters that challenged him last year.

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Khalil Rountree Jr. (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 307 at Delta Center. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The UFC 313 co-main event is a pivotal lightweight contest between former interim titleholder Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker, and according to MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin the card has also added another intriguing lightweight matchup featuring King Green and Mauricio Ruffy.

Ruffy Set For Huge Test Against Green

A longtime veteran of the UFC that made his promotional debut back in 2013, Green is coming off a submission loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304 and is currently 1-2 across his last three fights.

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Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Bobby Green (red gloves) fights Jim Miller (blue gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 38-year-old previously held a spot in the UFC’s lightweight Top 15 and represents a significant step up in competition for Ruffy, who is a member of Brazil’s “Fighting Nerds” team that includes other UFC standouts such as Caio Borralho, Carlos Prates, and Jean Silva.

“One-Shot” earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023 before debuting with a first-round finish of Jamie Mullarkey last year, and in his most recent outing Ruffy extended his current winning run to six fights with a unanimous decision against James Llontop at UFC 309.

Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Mauricio Ruffy (red gloves) fights James Llontop (blue gloves) in the catchweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The 28-year-old was given a major opportunity to kick off the UFC 309 main card in his fight with Llontop despite the fact that it was only his second Octagon outing, and it remains to be seen where Ruffy vs. Green will feature on a UFC 313 card that currently looks like this:

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• Main Event: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Anakalev

• Co-Main Event: Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker

• Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo

• Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan

• Ozzy Diaz vs. Djorden Santos

• Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal

• Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall

• Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van

• Chris Gutierrez vs. Jean Matsumoto

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