Alex Pereira has his first fight of 2025. ‘Poatan’ will headline UFC 313 on March 8 in Las Vegas as he defends his light heavyweight championship against top contender Magomed Ankalaev. The main event showdown was finally officially announced during the UFC 311 broadcast. So, now that he has finally gotten the fight he wanted, Magomed Ankalaev has sent a warning for Alex Pereira.

Taking to his X account, the Russian fighter claimed that he will make Alex Pereira pay for trying to avoid a fight against him. The 20-1-1 star promised to punish ‘Poatan’ as he wrote, “You just sign your death certificate I’m gonna punish you for ducking me and I’m gonna make you look like a guy work in a tire shop not professional Fighter.” However, that won’t be as easy as it looks.

After all, Pereira is coming off an impressive 2024 campaign in which he topped three UFC pay-per-views and came out of each with a standout knockout and his light heavyweight belt still on his waist. He has finished all of his opponents at light heavyweight except for Jan Blachowicz. But we also cannot count out the might of Magomed Ankalaev, the long-time contender, who is unbeaten in 13 consecutive appearances since losing his UFC debut in 2018. As for the co-main event, it will feature lightweight fan favorite Justin Gaethje going one-on-one against Dan Hooker. For five rounds!

However, the spotlight will definitely be on ‘Poatan.’ After all, he has been the fighter that everyone has been wanting to face. While Magomed Ankalaev remained the obvious choice considering that he has been in the number one spot for a long time now, Jon Jones too had been wanting a fight against the Brazilian despite Tom Aspinall’s desire for a title unification bout. Now, Jiri Prochazka finds himself as the new name that has been added to the list of people who want to fight Alex Pereira.

Jiri Prochazka calls for an end to the trilogy against Alex Pereira

Jiri Prochazka managed to keep the second spot on the UFC light heavyweight ranking safe at UFC 311. In one of the most anticipated fights, the former Light Heavyweight champion returned to the winning side by knocking out another former champion, Jamahal Hill, in the third round. Prochazka, who had a knockdown in the opening round, avoided a left hook from ‘Sweet Dreams’ before delivering a sensational fall via a hard 1-2 combination straight to the jaw.

Thanks to this technical knockout, Prochazka improves his record in the UFC to 5–2. His only two losses have been against champion Alex Pereira. So, seeking revenge, he called for a trilogy with the champion. On the mic with Joe Rogan, the Czech fighter said, “F*** man! I want a third fight with Alex Pereira!” Many expected a quick response from ‘Poatan;’ however, the Brazilian simply took to X to praise the 32-year-old instead. He wrote, “Great performance, Jiri, CHAMA #UFC311.”

So, it looks like Prochazka will have to wait his turn while Alex Pereira aims to defeat Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. As for Hill, he remains third in the rankings by suffering a second fall in a row after being knocked out by ‘Poatan’ at UFC 300. He has not won since his unanimous decision on Glover Teixeira in January 2023. He too would like to get into the title race with a new challenge in mind. What do you think? Who will he face next? Let us know in the comments.