After defending his light heavyweight title thrice in 2024, Alex Pereira is itching to fight once again. No wonder he is targeting March 2025 for a comeback. While Brazilian fans will be thrilled, there is a roadblock. Magomed Ankalaev is next in line for a title shot against ‘Poatan’ but a March fight might simply not work for him. Even Joe Rogan was left perplexed by the situation. 

Joe Rogan, in his conversation at ‘JRE #2249’ emphasized, “Ankalaev wouldn’t be able to fight in March. He’s got to go through the entire month of Ramadan preparing for a world title fight?” According to the multi-million dollar podcaster, the light heavyweight champ was deliberately delaying his clash against Ankalaev. But is there any truth in this statement considering the fact that Alex Pereira has already defended his title against fighters like Jiri Prochazka, Jamahal Hill, and Khalil Rountree Jr?

Well, Chael Sonnen doesn’t agree with Rogan’s speculations. He posted a video on Instagram where he stated:

“So Ramadan, which is for Muslim religion, you don’t eat until a certain time in the day. And there are some athletes, it would never work. On fight day, you will be fasting. They are accusing Alex Pereira of using this as a strategy, claiming that Pereira knew when Ramadan was and that he knew it would not be ideal for Ankalaev to train during Ramadan. I don’t think I believe any of that to be true. I don’t think that Alex Pereira thought these things through.”

He further added, “Alex Pereira has many options, and he’s been saying Ankalaev all the time. So, I don’t know that I buy into the Ramadan strategy as much as it just happens to fall during Ramadan. If it does, then the competition is going to go on. I would wonder about it—what kind of exceptions are there?”

Could it be possible that Alex Pereira is afraid of Ankalaev considering his wrestling background?

The answer to that question is a huge no. The Brazilian’s reputation as a fearless two-division champion has been built upon defeating names that appeared to be too strong for him to defeat. Well, the only conclusion out of Pereira’s game plan is that he is just teasing Ankalaev. Regardless, Alex Pereira and the UFC will need to decide quickly. After all, there are other fighters in the division who are waiting to get their hands on the belt. Who else wants to climb to the top apart from Ankalaev?

Jan Blachowicz throws his name into the mix for a showdown against Alex Pereira!

While having a conversation with ‘MMA Fighting’, former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz shared he would be ready for a title fight. “I’m not dreaming about a match against him, but after my next fight, I’ll focus on that. If I win, I believe I deserve the rematch like nobody else in the division,” he said.

In early 2024, he went through a second shoulder surgery. H͏o͏w͏ev͏er, sev͏era͏l mon͏͏ths after͏ the proced͏ure͏, the f͏ormer UFC l͏i͏gh͏t ͏͏heavyweig͏ht c͏hamp͏ion ͏f͏͏e͏els r͏evitalized͏ and st͏ron͏ger than͏ ever. While ͏t͏he surgery to͏ok him aw͏ay fr͏o͏m ͏the ͏ca͏g͏e͏ for a while, he is n͏o͏w re͏t͏urning ͏w͏ith ͏a r͏enewed sense of ͏vigor. In fact, he has a fight booked for March. If he wins it, he expects to face Pereira soon.

Back in 2023, Blachowic͏z and Pereira faced each other at UFC 291. The Polish fighter went to distance with Alex Pereira, but in the end, ‘Poatan’ won the fight by unanimous decision.

But here’s the thing: Blachowic͏z is scheduled to fight Carlos Ulberg at UFC Fight Night 255 on March 22. The 41-year-old desperately needs to pick a win if he wants to get into talks of a title fight. After all, in his last five fights, he picked just two wins and one draw. His draw was against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282.

Do you think Jan Blachowic͏z should get a title fight if he defeats Ulberg? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.