A recent video posted by Alex
Pereira created quite the uproar among
UFC fans.
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In the clip, “Poatan” was seen leaving the UFC offices with manager
Ed Soares — presumably with a fight agreement in tow. If Pereira
wanted to return to fight in March as rumored, it seemed to rule
out a title defense against top light heavyweight contender
Magomed
Ankalaev, who would not be available due to Ramadan. One
website speculated that Khamzat
Chimaev would be the opponent, but that possibility was not
confirmed by either side or any MMA journalist.
It won’t be Ankalaev ! 😭
— Alex “Poatan” Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC)
December 19, 2024
In the first week of 2025, Brazilian journalist Laerte Viana
revealed on his YouTube channel that he received information from
people close to “Poatan” that his next opponent would be
heavyweight contender Alexander
Volkov. That rumor was analyzed by UFC Fight Pass Brazil
commentator Carlos Barreto on his weekly podcast, “Papo de Luta”
this past Monday.
“This rumor would make perfect sense,” Barreto said. “With
Anakalaev unable to fight in March and planning to return in May or
June, it would be a way for ‘Poatan’ to test himself against the
[third ranked fighter] of the heavyweight division. Volkov will
bring different challenges to him. The Russian has good karate,
he’s much bigger, has more wingspan, a good ground game, but
‘Poatan’ has more speed. I see it as a ‘safety fight’ for the
champion to test himself in the new division. Totally the opposite
of Chimaev.”
Barreto added that the rumored fight with Chimaev never made much
sense.
“In addition to also being Muslim, like Anakalaev, Chimaev would be
a much more complicated fight for ‘Poatan.’ And it wouldn’t make
sense for Dana White to give him a chance to debut in the top
division fighting directly with the champion, who is today the
company’s biggest asset,” Barreto said. “It would make sense if he
was already middleweight champion and there were no options for
‘Poatan.’ It’s not the case. In addition to not being good for the
UFC, it wouldn’t be a smart business move by “Joinha” [manager
Jorge Guimaraes], who was the guy who designed ‘Poatan’s’ entire
career. In fact, not only ‘Poatan,’ but Anderson, Minotauro, Lyoto
and Patricio Pitbull. Interestingly, Joinha and Ed Soares are also
Volkov’s managers, which makes this news even more meaningful.”