“It’s a possibility.” That is what UFC CEO Dana White said during a Contender Series post-fight press conference, when Oscar Willis asked him about whether Ilia Topuria could potentially star the Paramount+ CBS era’s first card. And although the his’s reaction sounded vague, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say he already pictured their new broadcasting partnership kicking off with ‘El Matador’s rising star power. Moreover, recently, Arman Tsarukyan also called the Georgian Spaniard out for a January showdown after winning at UFC Qatar. So, for a moment, it looked like we might actually see Topuria in the first month of 2026. But with the latest rumors making the rounds, Alex Pereira might actually slide into that spot.

After ‘Poatan’ defeated Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 in October, he made it clear that his next move pointed toward the heavyweight division. He wanted that massive superfight against Jon Jones at the White House. And while it would’ve been a blockbuster sight to see both megastars collide inside the Octagon, the promotion seems to have a totally different idea. There is a high chance that Alex Pereira might actually defend his title against #3-ranked contender Carlos Ulberg at UFC 324, the first card under the historic 7.7 billion dollar partnership.

Alex Pereira vs Carlos Ulberg is rumored to take place in January 

LowKick MMA’s website manager, Timothy Wheaton, posted on X, “This is not yet confirmed, but I am hearing rumors that the UFC is aiming for Alex Pereira vs. Carlos Ulberg at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for January 24, UFC 324.”

Well, if Alex Pereira truly headlines the first Paramount card against Carlos Ulberg, it would be nothing short of UFC’s dream launch for 2026. After reclaiming his belt, ‘Poatan’s popularity has surged even higher. On the other hand, the Kiwi currently stands tall on a nine-fight winning streak, the longest in the division, and he also knocked out former title challenger Dominick Reyes at UFC Perth. So ‘Black Jag’ has ticked every box to present himself as a dangerous challenger. However, there might be one slight issue. Pereira might not return to the octagon in just three months.

It’s true that when it comes to activity, the Brazilian set a new benchmark by fighting four times in the span of 365 days. But because of that grind, he ended up feeling overworked and lost his belt to Ankalaev at UFC 313. So it’s highly unlikely the reigning light heavyweight champ would rush back that fast to defend his belt against Ulberg. Maybe things would’ve played out differently if it involved Jon Jones.

That said, it’s also true that Pereira didn’t take any real damage in his last fight, which might ease his recovery and open the door for an early return. So as we can see, there’s a genuine chance of ‘Poatan’s comeback on the first Paramount card, something that will only become clear once the UFC makes its official announcement. But with several potential matchups for Pereira to pick and choose, there’s another anticipated fight he’s surprisingly not too hesitant about. 

‘Poatan’ keeps Khamzat Chimaev superfight as last option 

Alex Pereira actually finds himself in a position where almost every fight now feels like a superfight. Sure, his potential scrap against Jon Jones might be the real eye-stealer among all the options. But there’s one matchup that barely gets talked about. It’s the Khamzat Chimaev fight. Both of them share a bit of lingering animosity, mostly because ‘Borz’ kept pushing to face him, and now ‘Poatan’ has shown some interest in that fight, but still keeps it as the last option.

“I even have posted something about Chimaev, and kind of responded to him, challenged him a little bit. But it’s not that I’m not interested in that fight, but I think there’s a lot in my division still. There’s a lot of people to fight. There’s an option to go at heavyweight, and he didn’t fight for a while. I think he needs to defend his belt. And you know, he’d be my last option, but if it’s an option, yeah!” the Brazilian said on Sports Illustrated.

Here, Pereira talked about his recently uploaded social media video where he made fun of Chimaev’s accolades, saying, “He’s gotta get there.” By saying that, ‘Poatan’ implied that ‘Borz’ hasn’t reached that level of credibility yet, which is why he also mentioned in the interview that Chimaev should defend his belt first. As this rivalry slowly heats up, Dana White could actually line this fight up for the White House card as an alternative to the Jon Jones matchup as well.

But that possibility looks dim, because if Pereira truly fights in January, according to rumors, would he even manage to make another turnaround for the White House event? What do you think? Let’s know in the comments section below.