Inside the Octagon, 2024 was the “Year of the ‘Poatan.’”
Though he entered the year already as champion, Alex Pereira’s star grew massively on the strength of three consecutive title defenses. First and foremost, Pereira headlined the UFC 300 mega event versus Jamahal Hill. Against a man who had never actually lost his title, Pereira scored an effortless knockout (watch highlights
), made a funny face, and exploded in popularity.Just two months later, Pereira would step up as UFC 303 main event after
Conor McGregor delayed his return (for the millionth time). He rematched Jiri Prochazka, the former champion who gave him some trouble in their first fight. The second match up was entirely one-sided, as Pereira picked apart and stopped “BJP” with absolute ease with a violent head kick (re-live that here).
By this point in the year, there was an outright legion of sweaty dudes in Venum attire saying “CHAMA” too much.
One final time, Pereira stepped up on short-notice to headline a pay-per-view (PPV) event. UFC was desperate for a main event, and Pereira versus Khalil Rountree Jr. ended up exceeding expectations. Not only was it Pereira’s third thrilling knockout win (see it here), but the bout proved to be a “Fight of the Year” contender as well. At the close of 2024, just about everyone agreed that the “Fighter of the Year” was either Pereira or Ilia Topuria. There was no argument about who sold more pay-per-view (PPV) buys, as “Poatan” absolutely carried the promotion in those 12 months as one of the few marketable sources of excitement.
Just about a year since the Rountree fight, Pereira is no longer the face of UFC.
He’s lost his title and is expected to lose again in the rematch versus Magomed Ankalaev this weekend (Sat. Oct. 4, 2025) in UFC 320’s main event. Formerly dominant champions eventually losing is the natural order of things, but what’s weird here is how much outright disrespect Pereira is receiving from the fighting community that previously hung on his every syllable.
There’s now a whole lot of bitterness being directed towards the Brazilian from that same “CHAMA” crew.
How did Pereira go from golden boy to Rodney Dangerfield in less than one year? It’s more than fickle fight fans, degenerate gamblers, and “you’re only as good as your last fight.” The Pereira backlash really stems from how he’s handled fighting Ankalaev, inside and outside of the cage.
Prior to losing his title at UFC 313, Pereira was in no hurry to fight “Big Ank.” Ankalaev ended up sidetracked away from the title in a comedy of draws and rematches, sure, but he was still a clearly deserving contender for quite a while before finally getting his shot. Rountree never should have been in the cage with Pereira, not when Ankalaev hadn’t lost a fight since 2018.
Everyone knew this, including “Poatan,” but the kickboxer and the promotion were happy to book match ups based on fun rather than merit. When Ankalaev finally did get his chance, Pereira dismissed him in the lead up — a totally forgivable crime, provided “Poatan” brought the action in the Octagon. Unfortunately, Pereira vs. Ankalaev sucked … and it wasn’t even Ankalaev’s fault.
“Big Ank” pushed the action at UFC 313. He threw more punches, pressed forward much of the time, and came the closest to really putting his opponent in danger. Fearsome knockout artist Pereira, meanwhile, threw a few kicks and ran around, content to stuff takedowns and hand over his title in a tepid performance. His performance irritated fight fans in a way that continues to be felt now, and Pereira’s continued dismissal of Ankalaev isn’t helping the situation.
When Pereira was winning, the silly matchmaking and side quest antics were easy to overlook or even enjoy. Nowadays, when Pereira posts a video dancing with Nina Drama nowadays, however, he’s met with extreme vitriol. There’s even the vocal minority claiming he was never that good or not that special in the first place — an absolutely absurd claim given what he accomplished in such a short span.
What’s funny is that “only as good as your last fight” cuts both ways. If Pereira sparks Ankalaev inside a couple rounds and regains gold, all the bandwagon fans will dig out their mustard-stained Venum jerseys. One wonders, however, if “Poatan” himself would still remember the disrespect and perhaps be less willing to step up on short-notice to save a card the next time he’s called.
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