Alex Poatán in a face-off inside the octagon in UFC 313. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
Just over a week until the UFC 320, Alex Poatán remains the center of attention in the world's largest MMA organization. The Brazilian, who seeks to regain his light heavyweight belt in a rematch against Magomed Ankalayev, received praise from a former champion of the division and member of the UFC Hall of Fame.
As recent provocations by Poatan against Ankalaev, in which he accused the Russian of hiding and called him a “champion of sh*t”, caught the attention of Rashad evans. For the American, the change in attitude shows a more “wild” side of the Brazilian.
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"I love it. I'm glad he (Poatan) is kind of reconnecting with that wild part of him. It's great to have respect for your opponent, but there has to be a part of you that's a jerk, to say the least. You have to be a savage. For him to get that wildness back, he's going to have to do that. I'm glad he's feeling that way, that he doesn't like him (Ankalaev). Shake hands and be friends after the fight," Evans said in an interview with 'MMA Junkie'.
In Evans' view, the rematch in UFC 320 This will be crucial for Poatan's immediate future within the organization. The American emphasized the pressure the Brazilian will face in case of another setback.
"This is a huge fight for him, because if he doesn't win, then the next step will probably be to drop down from light heavyweight and move up to heavyweight. It would be the smartest move after losing two in a row, especially at his age. You don't want to bury anyone's career when it's a great fighter, but at the same time, if he doesn't win this fight, what's the plan?" he asked.
Despite the delicate situation, the former champion is banking on Poatan's ability to react. Rashad expressed confidence in the adjustments made by the Brazilian's team and projected a victory for the São Paulo native in Las Vegas.
“I'm going to bet on Alex Pereira. I feel like he'll make the adjustments. I have a lot of faith in his team. I think Glover Teixeira and Plinio Cruz are very good at making the necessary adjustments. Alex seems very focused on doing what he needs to do in this camp, without distractions, just making sure he has the training partners he needs. Fighting from the place where he knows that if he fights like this, he can win," he concluded.
The duel between Poatan and Ankalaev takes place on October 4th, in the main event of... UFC 320in Las Vegas, United States. It will be the Brazilian's opportunity to try to regain the light heavyweight belt, lost to the Russian in March of this year, at UFC 313.
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