Will Alex Pereira return to the Octagon soon, and who will he fight next? These questions have been buzzing in the MMA community after ‘Poatan’ recently shared a tantalizing screenshot on his Instagram account. The Brazilian is coming off a spectacular second defense of his light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. 

With the win secured, there was a lot of speculation about what the future holds for ‘Poatan’ as the Brazilian fighter has been on a meteoric rise, capturing the attention of MMA fans worldwide. During the UFC 303 post-fight press conference, UFC boss Dana White shared that, “What it sounds like to me, not just Joe Rogan [but] everybody else wants to see him go to heavyweight”.

But with the heavyweight division currently having an interim champion (Tom Aspinall) and an undisputed champion (Jon Jones), Pereira himself later confessed in his YouTube channel, “I think I’m in another position now. It doesn’t make sense for me to fight for the interim belt, honestly.”

So, what about a fight at the ‘Noche UFC’ at ‘The Sphere’ in September? Despite there being no indications of Pereira being on the card, the MMA world was left abuzz when ‘Poatan’ shared a screenshot on Instagram of a call from Dana White with the caption, “Chama ou nao chama?”. This has drawn a wave of reaction from the fans online and here’s a look at what the netizens had to say!

Fans let their theories fly about why Dana White called Alex Pereira

One fan speculated that the UFC and Dana White want Alex Pereira to be the headliner for the ‘Noche UFC’ event at ‘The Sphere’ in Las Vegas. Dubbed by the UFC boss as “greatest live combat sports show anybody has ever seen”, so far the card hasn’t received an eye-catching matchup but with Alex Pereira, the UFC may have a shot at setting up a third LHW title defense for the immensely popular Brazilian star.

“My guess would be Dana wants him to headline the Sphere.”

‘Poatan’s popularity among the fan base is also evident as one fan wanted him to be the singular head-liner for every UFC event in the future! UFC 295, UFC 300, and UFC 303, have all been headlined by Alex Pereira, and if he does feature as the marquee fight for UFC 306 as well, it’d be the 3rd headlining PPV for ‘Poatan’ in 2024!

“F*ck it headline every single UFC event ever”

Others tried to spark up some flames by referencing UFC boss Dana White’s comments about Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ has made it clear in the past that he’d be open to facing Pereira in the future. But with his return fight reportedly set against Stipe Miocic and a title unification bout after that still looming, the MMA world may have to wait to see if Jones does end up fighting the Brazilian in the future

“’Hi Alex, listen, I just called to say that whatever you may hear, Jon Jones is the greatest fighter of all time, p4p n.1, and simply the best athle…’’”

Fans also pointed out that Alex Pereira’s remarkable rise in popularity has made him the face of the UFC, and despite not being fluent in English, his natural charisma and iconic catchphrase ‘Chama’, have made him a beloved figure.

“this guy is something else man, this kind of self promoting, the confidence and most importantly, the results are already mcgregor territory if it wasnt 4 the language thing and him not having smth similar to the irish crowd pushing him forward .. imo, hes defo the face of UFC right now and it’s biggest draw”

But what about a boxing match against Jake Paul? One fan claimed that they weren’t interested at all in seeing the fight happen as ‘The Problem Child’ recently called out Pereira after his win over former UFC star, Mike Perry. Taking the mic in the ring, Paul yelled out, “ I want you Alex Pereira. I just beat a BKFC champion. I beat multiple UFC champions. He said he wants to box. Alex Pereira, after Mike Tyson, let’s make it happen.”

“Anyone else not wanna see him box Jake Paul?”

Another fan re-iterated that in 2024 alone, Alex Pereira has defended his title twice with spectacular knockouts in both outings. This isn’t even considering the fact that he practically saved the UFC 303 card after Conor McGregor’s injury-caused withdrawal and took the fight against Jiri Prochazka on very short-notice.

“If he’s not trolling, Alex Pereira is on track for an all-timer year for any fighter.”

In conclusion, the buzz around Alex Pereira’s next move is palpable amongst the fanbase. As the MMA world waits with bated breath, the question remains: “chama or no chama?” Whether it’s a move to heavyweight, another title defense, or headlining ‘Noche UFC’, Pereira’s next move has the potential to make even larger waves in the MMA sphere! Do you think Alex Pereira will fight at ‘Noche UFC’ or was the call from Dana White about something else? Let us know in the comments below!