2024 was a huge breakout year for Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira. The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion became arguably the biggest star in the UFC due to his devastating knockouts and willingness to step up on short notice and save the UFC, and if last year is anything to go by, 2025 could be another special year for ‘Poatan.’
For months now, Pereira’s next fight has seemed set in stone. No.1-ranked Russian light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev is the clear next contender for Pereira’s title, however, the Brazilian’s timescale for his return may not line up with when Ankalaev wants to fight due to Ramadan and following reports on Friday, these timescale issues may be a bigger issue than first thought and Ankalaev may not be next for Pereira after all.
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Alex Pereira vs Alexander Volkov Rumoured For UFC 313
Reports from Brazil suggest ‘Poatan’ could be in line to face the Russian, Volkov, in a non-title headliner bout
Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira could be set to make his highly anticipated heavyweight debut in the main event of UFC 313 against No.3-ranked heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov, at least according to reports from Pereira’s homeland of Brazil.
According to Brazilian MMA content creator Laerte Viana, via Forbes, ‘Poatan’ is leaning towards facing Volkov in a non-title heavyweight bout at UFC 313 which would seemingly be set up as a blockbuster No.1 contender fight, with the winner eventually going on to face the winner of the Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall unification fight if that bout is to come to fruition.
This news coming out of Brazil is not only a big shock as it means that Magomed Ankalaev will not be Pereira’s next opponent as has been rumored for the last several months, but it also may mean that UFC 313 will be headlined by a non-title fight, which is a huge rarity and has only typically happened when huge stars such as Conor McGregor fight.
Pereira’s rumored dance partner for his heavyweight debut is Alexander Volkov. The Russian fought just over a month ago against Ciryl Gane and even though a large majority of MMA fans and media members had Volkov comfortably winning the fight, the judges shockingly did not see it that way and potentially robbed the experienced Russian of his first shot at UFC gold. Stylistically, Pereira vs Volkov would be a great match-up as both men are superb strikers, so if the fight is to be made official, fans are in for a treat.
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Alex Pereira & Alexander Volkov’s professional MMA records (as of 10/01/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Alex Pereira |
Alexander Volkov |
|
|
Fights |
14 |
49 |
|
Wins |
12 |
38 |
|
Losses |
2 |
11 |
Respected MMA Journalist Suggests There Is “No Truth” In Alex Pereira vs Alexander Volkov Fight
MMA journalist Kevin Iole has played down the rumors
Despite reports from Brazil suggesting Alex Pereira vs Alexander Volkov could be planned for UFC 313, respected MMA journalist Kevin Iole has played down the rumors and said there is “no truth” in the story.
UFC 313 is in just under two months, so we can expect an announcement of the main event soon, whether it is Pereira vs Volkov or not.
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