On the way to UFC320some whispered that Alex Pereira had been discovered. Seven months prior to his Las Vegas rematch with Magomed Ankalaev, Poatan had been rendered almost unrecognizable: timid, violent and ultimately dethroned by the Dagestani wrestling supremo. Opponents wondered: was the Brazilian’s meteoric rise over once and for all?
Not under Pereira’s watch. The newly minted two-time light heavyweight champion finally silenced the doubters, dropping his nemesis with a vicious right hand before following up with 12 to 6 ground and pound elbows that were so definitive and so thunderous that they reverberated across the continents. In just over three minutes Poatan regained his championship– but even more compelling: its mysticism. The knockout was revenge in its purest form, snapping Ankalaev’s unbeaten streak at ten and leaving him just a victim of Pereira’s ruthless calculation.
Suddenly the stories have changed. The 38-year-old has reclaimed his throne and destroyed any semblance of vulnerability. So where does he go from here, standing atop the pinnacle of 205 pounds, with the MMA world at his feet once again? These are the most likely options.
POATON IS BACK 🗿
ALEX PEREIRA (+220) GETS THE END IN LESS 2 MINUTES 😱#UFC220
https://t.co/ltIznMH8yA
— Bodog (@BodogCA) October 5, 2025
Jon Jones
If the fighting game is theater, Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira one of its crown jewels: unwritten, but forever plagued at the edge of our imagination. Once Pereira dropped Ankalaev, the newly minted 205-pound king plotted his own fate: super fight with Jonny Bones on the White House lawn.
A clash with Poatan is what Jones has been looking for since his successful heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic last November. Unfortunately for the Greatest of All Time, a worthy challenger emerged in the form of Tom Aspinall, someone who was not included in the American’s plans. The former heavyweight champion wanted no part of the Brit, choosing to retire rather than face him in a unification fight, and his days in the Octagon were seemingly over.
Now, however, his dream fight with Pereira has been resurrected, and with Poatan calling him out after the fight, fuel has been added to the fire. Now the ball is passed to UFC brass, and specifically to company president Dana White. The head of the UFC recently stated that he cannot trust Jones after he pulled out of a fight with Aspinall, and it remains to be seen if he will get another chance to step into the Octagon for the final time.
However, one thing is certain: if Pereira had the power to choose his next opponent, it would be Jones.
Winner of Tom Aspinall vs. Cyril Gane
If Jones remains the elusive white whale, there’s no shortage of titans waiting. Chief among them is the winner of the looming showdown between Tom Aspinall and Cyril Gane. The upcoming clash in Abu Dhabi represents the Briton’s first undisputed heavyweight title defense after being upgraded from interim champion following Jones’ untimely retirement, and it is a defense that online UFC betting sites expect him to win. The newest UFC betting odds currently pricing Aspinall as a mighty -400 favorite to continue his reign, and if he lives up to expectations, a meeting with Pereira could be next in line.
Aspinall is a tornado of aggression, finishing opponents with clinical ferocity, as evidenced by three consecutive first-round knockouts. The Frenchman Gane, on the other hand, is the movement embodied, a striking scholar who combines grace with danger in every exchange. For Pereira, each man represents a runway to the absurd: the possibility of becoming the first man in history to conquer three divisions.
Magomed Ankalaev trilogy
Sometimes a rivalry becomes so woven into the narrative fabric of the sport that it must be ended. After their second act at UFC 320, Pereira and Ankalaev have been locked together, with each victory notable for the stark contrast in style and method.
What would a trilogy yield? Well, it’s very simple: prove once and for all who is the better man: Pereira or Ankalaev. Before the October 4 defeat, Dagestani had been unbreakable since 2018, and despite surrendering the gold, he remains perhaps the light heavyweight division’s most credible threat: a Rubik’s cube for Pereira’s artillery to solve once again. For UFC matchmakers, history is irresistible. Think Lawler versus MacDonald, Volkanovski versus Holloway – trilogies that not only set records, but also set the sport on fire.
Abu Dhabi, with its growing Russian fanbase and appetite for high-octane drama, feels designed for the occasion. Alternatively, a Brazilian homecoming for Pereira is undoubtedly deserved, and would almost certainly sell out major stadiums such as the 78,000-capacity Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. The only question here is: does Poatan have any interest in a trilogy, or does he consider this chapter finally closed with his first-round knockout victory?
Jiri Prochazka III
And then there is ‘The Czech Samurai’. Two fights, two brutal finishes in Pereira’s ledger, but Jiri Prochazka is MMA’s answer to the question, “How much chaos can one man embody?” Fresh off back-to-back knockout victories over former title challengers and Pereira victims Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jamahal Hill, there’s no denying the 32-year-old deserves a chance. But has there been anything in recent showings to suggest Prochazka can avoid a third knockout loss to Poatan?
UFC matchmakers know that entertainment value trumps mathematical fairness nine times out of ten. Imagine the tilting, feverish madness of another Pereira-Prochazka tornado – this time in front of a rabid Prague crowd. Prochazka refuses to be mentally ready, and fans are never done watching him try.
It’s not a strict meritocracy, but that’s the sport: sometimes lightning demands its storm. White and company love the road less traveled when it unleashes chaos and clicks in equal measure.
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