Alex Poatán alongside coach Plínio Cruz after defeat in UFC 313. Photo; Reproduction X/UFC News
After seven months away from the octagon, Alex Poatán is back. The Brazilian faces Magomed Ankalayev in a rematch scheduled for UFC 320, on October 4, 2025, in Las Vegas (USA), and explained the reasons for the break in his career. In an interview with The Ariel Helwani Show, the former light heavyweight champion (up to 93 kg) stated that the break was necessary to take care of his body after a marathon of fights in 2024.
"What I'm doing is normal, and I needed to do it. Recover my body a bit. I had four fights in less than a year. Who did that? I don't remember. Maybe they did, but few people. I had to recover. I stayed seven months and I'm going to fight well," declared the Brazilian.
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The fight against Ankalaev will be a rematch of the confrontation held in UFC 313, in March of this year, when the Russian defeated Poatan by unanimous decision and took the division belt. Recalling that night, the Brazilian spared no criticism of his own performance.
"People compare my fight with Ankalaev to other fights I've had. If you compare, it's a shitty fight compared to the others. People can't see—maybe even the referees—that I wasn't the same guy as in the other fights," he vented.
Between November 2023 and October 2024, Poatan fought four times, three of which were title defenses, winning all of them by knockout. The streak included victories over Jiří Procházka (twice), Jamahal hill e Khalil rountree Jr. In just 175 days, he defended the light heavyweight title three times, breaking the American's previous record. Ronda Rousey (189 days).
Read More about: Alex Poatán, Magomed Ankalayev, UFC, UFC 313, UFC 320
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