UFC 313 is almost here. This Saturday night, a packed March schedule from MMA‘s No. 1 organization in the world continues from the promotion’s flagship venue, as T-Mobile Arena plays host to the third pay-per-view of 2025.
Live coverage of the show begins with early prelims at 6:30 pm ET/ 3:30 pm PT on ESPN+ (inside the United States) before moving onto the late prelims at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. TV Note: ESPN proper will join the late prelims of UFC 313 in progress at approximately 8:30 pm ET/ 5:30 pm PT on Saturday night after college basketball coverage.
The main card will cap off the evening at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT on ESPN+ pay-per-view. All told, barring any 11th-hour postponements or adjustments, UFC 313 will feature a full 12-fight slate.
Note: Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday morning at 2 am local time. Set your clock ahead one hour before going to bed on Saturday night.
UFC 313 Featured Prelim: Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Our focus on this day is the prelims. At the top of the bill for the undercard is a heavyweight tilt matching No. 5 contender Curtis Blaydes (18-5, 1 NC MMA, 13-5, 1 NC UFC) against Rizvan Kuniev (13-2-1, 1 NC, UFC promotional debut.)
These two men were already supposed to have met inside the famous UFC Octagon. Initially, Blaydes and Kuniev were to fight during UFC Seattle on Feb. 22 before the contest was pulled to take place this coming Saturday.
Curtis Blaydes enters the UFC 313 featured prelim having posted a record of 3-2 in his last five fights and is smarting from a first-round knockout defeat to Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) during the UFC 304 co-main event of the evening.
“Razor” is still very much in the championship conversation at heavyweight. A victory here can propel him to a title shot in short order.
Across the way, debuting Rizvan Kuniev has gone 4-0 with one no-contest in his last five contests. The former Eagle FC Heavyweight Champion scored his UFC contract last August by way of first-round knockout with one second left on the clock against Hugo Cunha (8-2 MMA), an alumnus of ONE Championship.
The UFC 313 featured prelim is a baptism under fire for Kuniev, but can he come away with a victory over a former title contender in Curtis Blaydes?
UFC 313 Co-Featured Prelim: Rei Tsuruya vs. Joshua Van
Immediately beforehand, the co-featured prelim of UFC 313 takes place at flyweight between undefeated Rei Tsuruya (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Joshua Van (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC). Tsuruya enters the card having yet to lose as a professional.
Back in June, he made a successful UFC debut with a unanimous decision victory over Carlos Hernandez (10-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) during UFC 303 from the very same T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas where UFC 313 takes place on Saturday night. Tsuruya has become very familiar with the Las Vegas area when it comes to fight nights.
Last year, he traveled to the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, NV for the Road to UFC tournament final, securing his promotional deal with a first-round knockout due to ground and pound shots against Jiniushiyue (13-4 UFC). Saturday’s co-featured prelim is his third consecutive bout in Sin City. Can he go 3-for-3?
In the other corner, Joshua Van, a veteran of Texas’ Fury FC, comes into UFC 313 with a mark of 4-1 over the last five contests. Currently, he’s won two fights in a row. Most recently, he bested Cody Durden (17-7-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) three months ago during UFC 310.
Van will undoubtedly be the fresher fighter of the two in the UFC 313 co-featured prelim. How will that factor into his performance?
UFC 313 Prelims: Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
Also on the UFC 313 prelims, you’ll see a middleweight affair between Brunno Ferreira (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Armen Petrosyan (8-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC.) Ferreira has gone 3-2 over the last five fights.
Last time out, he was on the receiving end of a third-round submission by way of arm-triangle choke versus Abus Magomedov (27-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) during the Oct. 26 UFC 308 from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Prior to that defeat, he finished two opponents in a row by way of knockout inside the opening round.
Can he turn it around on Saturday night? Tune in and find out.
Meanwhile, Armen Petrosyan has posted a 2-3 record over his last five contests. Currently, he’s dropped two fights in succession, a skid extended due to a second-round knockout via double spinning backfist from Shara Magomedov (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) last October.
He hasn’t had a sustained winning streak since getting his hand raised in victory four times in a row at the start of his pro career. Could Saturday’s fight be the start of a new streak?
Final Thoughts
Which prelim or prelims are you looking forward to on UFC 313? Let us know in the comments.