Carlos Barreto: Rumored Alex Pereira-Alexander Volkov Fight Makes 'Perfect Sense'

A recent video posted by Alex Pereira created quite the uproar among UFC fans.

In the clip, “Poatan” was seen leaving the UFC offices with manager Ed Soares — presumably with a fight agreement in tow. If Pereira wanted to return to fight in March as rumored, it seemed to rule out a title defense against top light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev, who would not be available due to Ramadan. One website speculated that Khamzat Chimaev would be the opponent, but that possibility was not confirmed by either side or any MMA journalist.

It won’t be Ankalaev ! 😭

— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) December 19, 2024

In the first week of 2025, Brazilian journalist Laerte Viana revealed on his YouTube channel that he received information from people close to “Poatan” that his next opponent would be heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov. That rumor was analyzed by UFC Fight Pass Brazil commentator Carlos Barreto on his weekly podcast, “Papo de Luta” this past Monday.

“This rumor would make perfect sense,” Barreto said. “With Anakalaev unable to fight in March and planning to return in May or June, it would be a way for ‘Poatan’ to test himself against the [third ranked fighter] of the heavyweight division. Volkov will bring different challenges to him. The Russian has good karate, he's much bigger, has more wingspan, a good ground game, but ‘Poatan’ has more speed. I see it as a ‘safety fight’ for the champion to test himself in the new division. Totally the opposite of Chimaev.”

Barreto added that the rumored fight with Chimaev never made much sense.

“In addition to also being Muslim, like Anakalaev, Chimaev would be a much more complicated fight for ‘Poatan.’ And it wouldn't make sense for Dana White to give him a chance to debut in the top division fighting directly with the champion, who is today the company's biggest asset,” Barreto said. “It would make sense if he was already middleweight champion and there were no options for ‘Poatan.’ It's not the case. In addition to not being good for the UFC, it wouldn't be a smart business move by “Joinha” [manager Jorge Guimaraes], who was the guy who designed ‘Poatan’s' entire career. In fact, not only ‘Poatan,’ but Anderson, Minotauro, Lyoto and Patricio Pitbull. Interestingly, Joinha and Ed Soares are also Volkov’s managers, which makes this news even more meaningful.”