UFC 313 takeaways: Pereira's loss a nightmare for the promotion

Magomed Ankalaev ended Alex Pereira's light heavyweight title reign in the UFC 313 main event, earning a unanimous decision win to become the new champion Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the co-headliner, Justin Gaethje got back on track with a unanimous decision victory in a rematch with Rafael Fiziev.

Here are four takeaways from the pay-per-view event.

Pereira losing to Ankalaev is a nightmare for the UFC

The look on Dana White's face when Bruce Buffer showed him the scorecards said it all: This was not the outcome the world's biggest MMA promotion had hoped for.

Pereira is one of the most popular fighters in the sport and is a big part of the UFC's recent success. After winning the light heavyweight title, "Poatan" ascended to stardom over the last year and a half: He headlined two of 2024's biggest events, including UFC 300 and the International Fight Week pay-per-view - and he agreed to both fights on relatively short notice. From a business perspective, Pereira's willingness to compete - and step up when no one else will - has made him one of the promotion's most valuable assets.

Losing Pereira as a champion, at least for now, hurts. Especially when he's replaced by Ankalaev, who, through no fault of his own, is the furthest thing from a household name. Ankalaev's fight style is effective but not always entertaining, and he doesn't have a ton of charisma outside the Octagon. White even called Ankalaev's draw with Jan Blachowicz three years ago a "terrible" fight. Crazy things happen in this sport, but Ankalaev likely won't become a fan favorite like Pereira.

The UFC was already dealing with a serious problem in the star power department - several of its current champions aren't fan-friendly or big names - and that only became truer at UFC 313. Pereira will likely get an immediate chance to win back the title, but as of right now, Ankalaev dethroning the UFC's golden goose is a nightmare situation for White and Co.

Gaethje could challenge for the title again if the timing's right

Gaethje might just be ageless based on how he performed against Fiziev.

At 36 years old and coming off a devastating knockout loss, this easily could've been the start of the former interim lightweight champion's decline. Especially because he competes in a deep division that favors younger fighters more than the heavier weight classes do.

But Gaethje rebounded in impressive fashion, outworking and outlasting his younger opponent. His style shouldn't be conducive to career longevity (he has nine Fight of the Night awards in 14 Octagon appearances), but he's somehow made it work. "The Highlight" proved Saturday that he's still one of the best lightweights in the world.

There's a bit of a logjam at the top of the division, with Arman Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira, and featherweight champion Ilia Topuria all eager to challenge Islam Makhachev. And then there's Max Holloway, who scored the viral knockout of Gaethje at UFC 300 last April and has since permanently moved up to 155 pounds. But Gaethje was right when he said ahead of UFC 313 that timing is everything in this sport. Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier in July 2023 and then Poirier fought Makhachev for the title 11 months later.

With a bit of luck, Gaethje could very well find himself in one final title opportunity before putting a bow on his career for good.

Turner reached a crossroads and came up short

Two years ago, I believed Jalin Turner was on his way to title contention, calling him "one of the most opportunistic, violent fighters at 155 pounds." Evidently, I was wrong.

At the time, Turner had won five straight fights, all inside the distance. Then he suffered four losses in his next five Octagon appearances, the latest of which was a first-round triangle choke against Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 313.

Turner needed to win this fight to get his career back on track. After all, he was the No. 12-ranked lightweight facing someone outside the top 15. In the end, he delivered his least inspiring performance yet. It just wasn't meant to be.

After the loss, Turner told reporters that he was likely retiring from MMA. Turner is only 29 years old, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him return to the Octagon one day. But, for now, this could be it for "The Tarantula."

Fighting Nerds are a force to be reckoned with

It's never been clearer that The Fighting Nerds - the hottest fight camp in MMA - are headed for superstardom.

Mauricio Ruffy made his third Octagon appearance at UFC 313 and delivered another huge win for the Brazilian team, scoring a violent, highlight-reel knockout of King Green.

Ruffy's victory came just two weeks after Jean Silva brutally finished Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC Seattle, and just days after Silva stole the show at the UFC 314 press conference while promoting his upcoming bout against Bryce Mitchell.

Silva, along with his Fighting Nerds teammates Caio Borralho and Carlos Prates, attended UFC 313 for Ruffy's fight. The trio received a big pop from the crowd when the UFC showed them on the broadcast. MMA fans are enamored with these guys, and rightfully so: They're very entertaining in and out of the Octagon.

With fighters on the rise in four different divisions, The Fighting Nerds are riding all the momentum in the world. If they can keep this up, they'll become one of the most special teams we've ever seen.