Preview: UFC 313 ‘Pereira vs. Ankalaev’

Lightweights

Mauricio Ruffy (11-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Bobby Green (32-16-1, 13-11-1 UFC)

ODDS: Ruffy (-470), Green (+360)

The UFC understandably appears to be in the Ruffy business, as the Brazilian has proven to be an exciting talent despite some questions about his ceiling. Ruffy figures to be close to a finished product at nine years into his professional career, and his approach is fairly simple. Ruffy is large and long for the lightweight division, so he leverages those tools to fight as a powerful sniper, picking his spots to cause a ton of damage. Regional competition didn’t have much of an answer for Ruffy, and things have mostly been one-way traffic on Dana White’s Contender Series and in the UFC. However, only his UFC debut win over Jamie Mullarkey was a complete rout, with his Contender Series victory going into the third round and his UFC win over James Llontop going to a decision in part thanks to Ruffy’s choosiness. It’s still an approach that can lead Ruffy to some blowout wins, but it will be interesting to see how he fares against someone who can truly pressure him and force him to pick up the pace, even if that opponent will likely have to walk through some danger to do so. It’s unclear if that man will be Bobby Green, particularly in his 2025 version, since he appears to be cooling off after a late-career renaissance.

Green came to the UFC through Strikeforce in 2013 and impressively ran up the ladder for two years, after which his career seemed absolutely cursed. Injuries and personal issues kept Green out of action on and off for about half a decade, and his defensively savvy and counter-focused style did little to win over the judges, resulting in some controversial decision losses when he could actually make it to the cage. However, he proved to have an unlikely breakout in 2020. Ready to go for the first time in a while, the chaos of the UFC’s pandemic-era matchmaking allowed Green to step in for four fights in a shade over four months, as he combined entertainment with success and proved to be a fan favorite when the Octagon was back in front of crowds. Green’s approach has always had its flaws, as he relies heavily on his reflexes being sharp enough to keep him out of trouble as he attempts to counter his opponents. That has resulted in some rough knockouts as Green slows down just a bit in his late 30s; and that’s before factoring in his last loss to Paddy Pimblett, a surprisingly poor performance from Green that saw him lose quickly after an ill-advised takedown. Green is a clear step up from Ruffy’s previous competition, but the Brazilian is the type of powerful range fighter who would have been a poor matchup for the American even at his peak. A younger Green might have at least found some success closing distance and forcing the issue, but at this point, that approach might just result in his eating a shot he can no longer take. The pick is Ruffy via second-round knockout.

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Pereira vs. Ankalaev
Fiziev vs. Gaethje
Bahamondes vs. Turner
Lucindo vs. Lemos
Ruffy vs. Green
The Prelims