UFC legend makes worrying prediction for Alex Poatan's rematch against Magomed Ankalaev

Alex Poatán e Magomed Ankalayev staring down before the fight (Photo: Instagram)

The announcement of the rematch of Alex Poatán against Magomed Ankalayev What happened this week shook the foundations of the MMA world. The Brazilian will face the current light heavyweight champion (up to 93kg) in UFC 320, on October 4th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (USA). The first duel between the two was in March, when Poatan lost the belt to the Russian by decision.

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Many analysts, fans and sports stars are exploring possibilities and giving their opinion on the match. This Thursday (25), Tito Ortiz talked about the matchup. The legend advised Poatan to keep an eye on his opponent's takedowns.

"(Alex) Pereira needs to make sure he defends the takedown. I think it'll be more of a wrestling match. I think so, because the Russian wanted to test his standup skills and showed he could punch him. And I think Alex will think the same way, and will actually fight him this time... That would be the smartest thing to do," he said. Tito Ortiz in an interview with Helen Yee.

Poatan opens as an underdog

Last Tuesday (22), Dana White confirmed the rematch between Magomed Ankalayev e Alex Poatán, for the light heavyweight (up to 93 kg) belt as the main fight of UFC 320Having lost to the Russian by unanimous decision in their first encounter in March, the Brazilian is considered an underdog in the initial odds for their second meeting.

According to SportsBetting.ag, Ankalaev appears as the favorite with odds of 1,45, while Poatan is priced at 2,85. This means that for every R$1 bet on the Russian, the return is R$1,45 if he wins. Those who bet on the Brazilian receive R$2,85 for every real invested if he wins.

This is the first time since 2023 that Poatan has opened as an underdog in a fight. The last time was in the fight against Jiri Prochazka, when the bettors' movement ended up turning the line in his favor. Before that, he also started as an underdog in the duel against Israel adesanya, at UFC 287.