With three tit͏le defe͏nses in seven months, Ale͏x Per͏ei͏ra has become one of the most active ch͏ampions in the modern era of the promotion.͏ As hi͏s winning strea͏k against t͏op fighters͏ continues, one compet͏itor, in p͏a͏rticular, is eager to square͏ off͏ a͏gainst the mo͏dern͏-day͏ Baba Yaga. Mago͏med Ankalaev recen͏t͏ly ac͏c͏used Per͏eira of using voodoo to wi͏n his͏ matches, even claiming, “This voodoo stuff will not work with me.” These critical remarks seem to have started when the UFC passed him over in favor of Khalil Rountree Jr for UFC 307.

But now, he’s determined to get his shot at the title, especially after how the reigning champion rated Ankalaev. ESPN recently asked Alex Pereira to rate fighters from 1 to 10, 1 being an easy fight and 10 being the toughest. His rating for the Russian? A 5. Responding to this, Magomed Ankalaev wrote, “This guy say I’m at level five; I’m in this guy’s head… I promise you this voodoo stuff will not work with me. I pray five times a day. I am protected.” The voodoo remark made an appearance right before the fight, too.

“My prediction for UFC 307 main event: Alex Pereira win KO voodoo help.” Well, whether or not ‘Poatan’ won using “voodoo help,” he sure did win convincingly against Rountree Jr – with a TKO in Round 4. Soon after Pereira defended his title yet again, it became evident why Ankalaev predicted (or hoped) the Brazilian would win. The Dagetsani took to his Instagram handle to call out the undisputed champion for a fight…

“Congratulations, both guys. It was a great fight. I’m glad [voodoo] guy won, and now I have to do my job, beat Rakic, and after that, kill the [spell].” A victory against Alexander Rakic at UFC 308 would more than likely mean a title shot for Magomed Ankalaev. After Dana White & Co. passed over the No.2-ranked light heavyweight despite him winning 10 of his 11 most recent bouts, Ankalaev is more determined than ever to win and book a fight against Pereira. Interestingly, though, ‘Poatan’ rated Rakic higher than Ankalaev.

While the Dagestani was a 5 in Pereira’s books, the Austrian got a rating of 7. That said, even though Pereira vs. Ankalaev is the most logical next championship bout, if Alexander Rakic puts up a dominant display, it’s not out of the question that he could jump the queue to fight the Brazilian. But the question is: Is Alex Pereira ready to defend his title again?

Well, it looks like the champion is looking for a break after his spectacular title defense. Indirectly telling this to Dana White, Pereira said, “I think I deserve some rest after this. I’m not going to say anything about my team and their condition. So now, I think I want to rest my body. I’ve got some trips to go on, and then I’m going on a trip to Bali just to relax. Let’s see what’s next,” he revealed in the post-fight press conference.

At UFC 303, he became the first 205-pound champion to defend his title multiple times since Jon Jones (who Pereira rated a 9) in 2020. And now, the Brazilian has followed that up with a third. All in seven months. So it makes sense why he would want to take a break. But that doesn’t mean he’s not open to defending his crown again. Potentially against Mahomed Ankalaev.

Before UFC 307, reporters asked Alex Pereira about his fighting future (which could entail a return to the middleweight division) and who he would want to fight. “No real preference, it’s up to the organization, but maybe defend my belt one more time,” he said. ‘Poatan’ has registered his claim as one of the most ferocious strikers in the promotion’s 30+ year history. His mystic persona and ‘shamanic’ qualities have raised his stock to an all-time high. But how will the Brazilian fare against a relentless grappler like Ankalaev? He seems confident in his abilities.

“Ankalaev has been talking a lot of stuff. Maybe it would be a good opportunity for me to prove my grappling and my ground game to the people.” As for the Russian, he seems just as confident about taking on the reigning champion.

Magomed Ankalaev wants to prove he’s better than Alex Pereira

In a July interview with Aslanbek Badaev, Ankalaev opened up about the prospect of facing ‘Poatan’ for the light heavyweight title. He said, “I think with his speed, he won’t even touch me. The best he can get me with is a low kick. I am very confident. I believe I can beat him standing. I guarantee that… I really want to destroy him, put my hands on him, and show that I am better than him.”

The world of MMA has always been about pitting variant styles against each other. Be it Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie or Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, the bright lights of the octagon have always borne witness to combatants trying to gain an advantage over their opponents. And the potential title bout between Pereira and Ankalaev will be no different.

That said, Alex Perei͏ra made͏ his UFC ͏de͏bu͏t ͏a͏ppro͏xim͏ate͏l͏y th͏ree ye͏ars͏ ago, a͏nd s͏ince͏ ͏then, the ͏Brazili͏an h͏a͏s b͏een breaking͏ ͏͏back-to͏-back͏ r͏ecords͏. Hi͏s life changed when he ͏embraced th͏e MMA sta͏ge, tran͏siti͏oning from be͏ing a t͏i͏re ͏technician t͏o͏͏ becoming a͏ dua͏l-wei͏ght c͏͏hampion of ͏the ͏w͏or͏ld.͏ With a probable avenue to become the first-ever three-division title holder, it will be interesting to see what the Sau Paulo native has in store. A͏lex͏ Pe͏re͏ira’s stor͏y͏ is ͏nothin͏g short o͏f a nar͏ra͏tiv͏e͏ that c͏ould come st͏͏rai͏ght from the͏ ta͏b͏les o͏f Ho͏llywood ͏dire͏cto͏rs. So, what’s next for ‘Poatan’?