Alex Poatán was defeated by Magomed Ankalayev No. UFC 313 (Photo: Instagram)
Defeated in his last appearance in the octagon, Alex Poatán seeks to rediscover the path to victory and take revenge on Magomed Ankalayev in the main fight of UFC 320, scheduled for October 4th. Defeated by unanimous decision of the judges, the Brazilian was criticized by many fans and experts for not being as aggressive and forceful as in past performances.
With his own words, former UFC fighter Dan Hardy, who once fought for the welterweight title (up to 77,1 kg) as an athlete, ventured to guess about a possible action that compromised the Brazilian's performance. In the Englishman's view, excessive respect for the Russian's grappling was a crucial factor in the defeat.
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"I think maybe he respected Ankalaev a little too much in the last fight. I also think he wasn't sure which hand Ankalaev was going to play. Ankalaev is very, very confident as a striker. His wrestling has always been a secondary asset in his game, and he never really wanted to use it. But just the idea that he was there, the threat, seemed to make Pereira hesitate a little too much," Hardy told Helen Yee.
Later, Dan used Poatan's triumphs to illustrate the correct way for Brazilians to act in confrontations.
“Pereira, when he’s at that short distance, whether it’s when you’re going toward him, like when (Sean) Strickland fought him, Strickland was getting into his range, or when someone is moving away and he’s getting into their range, like Jamahal hill, you feel that pressure of his kind of structure coming towards you and people feel like they need to react”
Finally, the commentator suggested a possible change in Poatan's strategy so that victory is more accessible in Las Vegas (USA).
"If I were Pereira, I'd think about getting as close to him as possible, getting in his face, maybe even trying a little Thai clinch just to control the clinch a bit. He'll be better at defending takedowns with his front foot too, right? It's better if he presses forward and forces Ankalaev to attack under pressure," he concluded.
Alex Poatán causes Jamahal hill after victory. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
Protagonists of UFC 320Poatan and Ankalaev will have a highly anticipated rematch on October 4th in Las Vegas. Currently, the Russian is considered the heavy favorite for the fight, while the Brazilian claims to be confident, despite having already achieved many things in life.
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