Poatan's coach announces the end of his retirement ahead of a world boxing title fight; understand why.

Plinio and Poatan backstage at the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/pliniocruzmma

PUBLICITY:

A familiar figure in the corner of Alex Poatán In the fights of the Pataxó Indian in the biggest MMA event in the world, Plínio Cruz will have the opportunity to show his skills as a fighter soon. In an interview with reporter Ariel Helwani last Wednesday (17), the coach revealed that he had signed a three-fight contract with Misfits Boxing, the first of which should take place in September, for the world heavyweight title.

See too

Former champion places Justin Gaethje above Khabib Nurmagomedov and names him the most successful lightweight in history.

Excuse me? A declared enemy, Hokit mocks Poatan's justification for his UFC loss: 'Crybaby'

Knocked out at UFC Casa Branca, Poatan rules out appealing for a result change: 'It doesn't make sense'

Cruz said he doesn't know if he will face Chase DeMoor, the current champion of the division, or if the title will become vacant, but made it clear that he was promised a shot at the belt.

"I just signed a three-fight contract with the Misfits. I don't have the exact date yet because they're checking that with the..." DAZN"But it will be a title fight in September. I don't know if they'll take the title from him (DeMoor) or if we'll fight, but they guaranteed me a heavyweight title fight. They motivated me to come back to fighting," said the Brazilian, indicating a good financial offer.

Plinio Cruz says he signed a 3 fight deal with Misfits and will fight for the heavyweight title in September.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/4D33R1fjgo

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) June 17, 2026

Taking advantage of Poatan's presence, the Canadian reporter couldn't resist asking the former Ultimate champion for his opinion on the latest news. According to him, his friend's preparation has been the best it could be.

“He’s going to do great. If you watch Plínio’s fights, you’ll see that he should be doing this, he shouldn’t have stopped. We’re helping him. He trains every day and does tough sparring with Glover (Teixeira) twice a week. He’s doing what he loves, he’s found something to motivate him, and everyone is seeing that,” said Poatan.

Poatan's coach competed in MMA.

Alex Poatán alongside his coach Plinio Cruz at UFC 311. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/ufc_brasil

Despite becoming internationally known for his work with Alex, Plínio Cruz competed in Mixed Martial Arts for over a decade. Between 2008 and 2019, he built a record of 17 professional fights. The Brazilian had the opportunity to fight in major events such as Bellator and M1 Global, with eight wins and nine losses.