Alex Poatan believes that his loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 wasn't entirely negative. The Brazilian faced the Russian at the event held in March 2025, couldn't unleash his game, lost the light heavyweight title (up to 93kg), and yet he still manages to see a 'silver lining'.
In an interview with 'UFC Brasil', Poatan revealed that, despite losing the title, he left UFC 313 happy . According to him, the fact that he faced problems in training camp and still managed to perform well left him satisfied. Because of this, he believes he needs to be "a little better" in the rematch.
“In my last fight, the expectation that everyone placed on him, like 'this guy is this, he's that, he's going to take you down'. He tried several times and couldn't manage any of them. So, considering everything that happened in camp and the way it went, I was happy. Not happy about the loss, but I was happy because of how I was doing and everyone was doubting me. I need to be a little bit better,” said Alex Poatan.
Glover Teixeira reveals problems in Alex Poatan's preparation
Glover Teixeira revealed that Poatan had health problems during his preparation to face Magomed Ankalaev . According to the coach, the Brazilian couldn't be pushed too hard in training and, as a result, had to "catch up" in the last week, which may have led to a case of overtraining.
"I'll tell you the truth. I think Poatan exceeded his training limit in his last fight. He trained less because he got sick in Australia, he wasn't training properly, because he has to cut back. The guy was sick, and if you push him, he'll get worse. We worked on technique... Then, in that last week, the weight was higher. Poatan was feeling good, so he trained too much last week," the coach said in an interview with the 'Overdogs Podcast'.
Now, Alex Poatan will have the chance to prove that health problems were the difference in his first duel against Magomed Ankalaev . The Brazilian faces the Russian in a rematch in the main event of UFC 320, scheduled for next Saturday (4).
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