In late October, fans were delighted to hear Alex Pereira was set to make his Hollywood debut in AdamWingard’s Onslaught. As per reports, the Brazilian would play ‘The Butcher’ an antagonist to the lead character played by Adria Arjona in A24’s upcoming thriller. But wait, a new social media post from ‘Poatan’ has fans scratching their heads about Pereira already having made his Hollywood debut in a much, much bigger flick.

It’s been 24 years since the magnificent ‘Gladiator’ was released, and Ridley Scott has been well aware of it. But while many are already hooked on its amazing screenplay and fight scenes, it seems like UFC fans too will be roped into its fandom, as Alex Pereira might be a part of the movie! In a recent post on Instagram, Pereira shared the trailer of the movie and urged fans to go watch it in the theaters as he wrote, “The fight never ends. Get tickets for #GladiatorII now—only in theaters Friday.” 

This truly took his fans by surprise, as it is rare for a UFC fighter to share a trailer of a movie on his personal Instagram. As a result, this led many to speculate that ‘Poatan’ is a part of the movie and might actually make a cameo! So, is it actually happening? Well, no. Pereira has not been listed as a cast member of this movie, so this is likely just a post to promote the combat film that the MMA fighter might actually be interested in watching. Or just a PR stunt to promote a movie about gladiators, via a modern-day gladiator.

However, there is no denying that even a small cameo could have boosted the sequel among MMA fans. So far, the Paul Mescal-led action-drama has been performing great in Europe with a strong cast that includes the legendary Denzel Washington, the fan favorite Pedro Pascal, and up-and-comers like Joseph Quinn in lead roles. The audiences have shouted the phrase of Gladiator, “Strength and Honor,” this weekend in theaters due to the overwhelming success of the film. Gladiator 2 has exploded at the box office in Europe after a November 15 release, and it is poised to be one of the most successful films of 2024.

Now we are just a day away from its premiere in the United States (November 22), where it will clash with a musical phenomenon like Wicked. In the countries where it has already been released, the result has been fantastic, with some hailing it as the best Ridley Scott film. The excellent performance in the United Kingdom stands out, with 11.4 million dollars, and France with more than 10 million. This standout performance only made fans wish that ‘Poatan’ played one of the gladiators in the film.

Fans speculate an Alex Pereira cameo in the movie Gladiator II

There is hardly a UFC fan who doesn’t love ‘Poatan.’ He is a warrior in and out of the Octagon. So when he uploaded the trailer on his Instagram, fans couldn’t help but wonder if the Brazilian fighter had actually become a part of the combat-driven movie. Taking to the comments, many fans wondered if Alex Pereira is a part of the film or if it was just the film’s PR reaching out, as they commented, “POATAN. ARE YOU IN THE MOVIE?!?” and “Hold up, is the goat in this movie?” One fan even went as far as to say that if ‘Poatan’ isn’t in the movie, he is not going to watch it. “If you are not in this movie, we are not watching it ngl🔥🔥”

Several other fans shared their speculations about the post. Some users claimed that it was just the movie PR team seeking a promotion from a fighter like Alex Pereira to promote a film about fighting. As they wrote, “No, he’s not in the movie. It’s a combat movie, so they pay one of the most popular combat fighters to promote it. Simple. Genius.”

On the contrary, some were of the belief that it was more than just a PR stunt and that ‘Poatan’ was in fact a part of the blockbuster hit. “He is likely a CAMEO in the movie and is advertising it as part of the contract to be in the movie.” 

But how can we talk about UFC fans without mentioning the trolls who love to take a jibe at their favorite fighters? Some users took the opportunity to bring Alex Pereira’s arch-nemesis Israel Adesanya into the mix. A user commented that Pereira would be having a rematch against Adesanya, but this time ‘Izzy’ would be playing Xerxes. “Poatan vs. Xerxes Adesanya.🔥” This could be a reference to the character of Xerxes in the film ‘300’, who has a passing resemblance to ‘Stylebender.’

Another user speculated that Adesanya would brag about his past win over Pereira whenever he saw him on the big screen. ” Izzy is prob sitting in a movie theater somewhere saying, “I beat this guy one time.” Well, it surely looks like fans are invested in seeing Pereira as a part of the film (Disappointing as it is, he is not). But what do you think? Let us know in the comments.