With UFC 328 looming on the calendar, the official UFC Countdown dropped a cameo that felt like more than just a soundbite. Alex Pereira wasn’t on the card this Saturday (9), yet he still grabbed the spotlight by throwing his weight behind Sean Strickland and spelling out what the American must do to survive the storm against Khamzat Chimaev. According to Jogo Hoje, this is the kind of matchup where the smallest tactical tweaks decide who sets the pace.
And let’s be honest: the timing is spicy. This isn’t only about a middleweight title fight with the belt on the line. It’s also about an unlikely backstage alliance, because Poatan and Strickland have shared the mat after a rivalry that once looked destined to stay radioactive forever.
Poatan’s word on the UFC 328 Countdown
In footage published through the UFC’s official YouTube channel, Pereira appears as a luxury addition in Strickland’s camp. The Brazilian is no stranger to lending credibility to a game plan, and here he basically turns the spotlight on Strickland’s pathways to victory: keep moving forward, attack in a straight rhythm, and don’t get sucked into the grappling nightmare that Chimaev loves.
Poatan’s message is blunt, almost coach-like. He describes Strickland as a seasoned fighter who understands how to pressure without losing his posture, and he points directly to the tools that can make Chimaev’s takedown attempts less profitable. In Poatan’s eyes, the American’s jab isn’t optional; it’s the steering wheel. The chute frontal equivalent, the front kick, isn’t a flourish; it’s a distance weapon. And every step has to be taken with takedown defense switched on.
The technical plan: pressure, jab and front kick
Let’s translate Pereira’s read into fight language. Strickland’s road to success runs through control of distance. Not the fancy kind. The practical kind. The kind where Chimaev can’t comfortably load up on entries, can’t dictate the timing, and can’t turn exchanges into a wrestling problem.
Poatan’s core instructions can be summarized like this, and they’re all interconnected:
- Keep pressuring on the straight line, walking forward with intent, so Chimaev has to react instead of initiate.
- Use the jab to disrupt rhythm, tag entries, and force awkward reactions that break setups for wrestling.
- Work the front kick to punish distance and discourage forward momentum into takedown range.
- Stay composed when range gets messy, because once the fight becomes grappling-heavy, the margin shrinks fast.
- Watch for take downs and protect the scramble, because Pereira’s warning is really about denying the ground game that morphs into ground and pound.
That’s the tactical spine: control of distance first, then the jab and front kick as the tools that keep the fight upright. Without that, Strickland’s pressure becomes a donation. With it, his pressure becomes a threat.
Why an ex-rival’s help is raising eyebrows
The reason fans are buzzing isn’t just because Poatan said nice things. It’s because this is the same Poatan who once delivered a brutal reminder to Strickland in 2022, when the Brazilian stopped the loudmouth in a fight that helped him climb to a title shot. Rivalry doesn’t usually evaporate. But in this sport, the mat can do what negotiations can’t.
So when you see them training together, you have to ask: is this just mutual respect, or is it a real tactical scouting mission? Strickland’s style has always been about range and pressure, but Chimaev’s biggest advantage is turning pressure into chaos—dragging opponents into positions where technique gets replaced by strength and timing.
Poatan’s involvement feeds the narrative that Strickland has a way to “route around” the worst parts of Chimaev’s game. And honestly, that’s what the hardcore want: a plan, not a prayer.
What Strickland must do to avoid Chimaev’s game
If Chimaev can force clinches, control entries, and win the takedown exchange, the title fight starts looking like a wrestling clinic. That’s why Poatan keeps circling back to the same themes. Strickland has to win the moments before the takedown attempt, not just defend after it happens.
Here’s what that means in practice. Strickland should:
- Keep his feet moving and his posture clean so that defense of takedowns doesn’t become a last-second scramble.
- Turn the jab into a range check, not a one-off punch. If the jab is consistent, Chimaev’s entries become predictable.
- Use the front kick to punish the “reach-in” phase and to keep Chimaev from landing the kind of contact that sets up the carry.
- Stay alert to the moment pressure meets wrestling. If Strickland walks forward without structure, the fight shifts from striking to wrestling on Chimaev’s terms.
- Protect against the transition to ground and pound by denying control, not by hoping to survive it.
Because the truth is, Chimaev isn’t asking for permission. He’s building a path. Strickland’s job is to cut that path early, with control of distance and smart, repeatable offense.
The weight of the bout: middleweight belt pressure
The UFC 328 stakes are loud: a middleweight title fight with the belt (84 kg) sitting in the middle of the Octagon. When the pressure is this high, tactical discipline matters even more than toughness. One careless step can turn into a takedown, and one takedown can turn into a long night of positional damage and ground and pound.
So Poatan’s comments land harder than typical hype. They’re basically a reminder that title fights are won in the “in-between” moments: jab timing, front kick distance, and the ability to keep the fight upright while you’re pressing forward.
O Veredito Jogo Hoje
Poatan isn’t just cheering here—he’s mapping a fight script. If Strickland commits to control of distance with a real jab and a credible front kick, he can blunt Chimaev’s wrestling and starve the transition to ground and pound. But if he starts walking in straight without structure, Chimaev will turn every exchange into a wrestling problem. My bet? Pereira’s blueprint is the clearest path to an upset, and that’s exactly why this matchup feels so dangerous for Chimaev.
Perguntas Frequentes
Why did Poatan cheer for Sean Strickland against Chimaev?
Because Poatan believes Strickland’s forward pressure can be made effective if he keeps the fight at the right range and respects takedown danger. His read is that Strickland has tools to disrupt Chimaev’s entries before wrestling takes over.
What strategy did Poatan indicate for Strickland at UFC 328?
Poatan pushed Strickland to walk forward on the pressuring on the straight line, using strong jab work and a steady chute frontal approach as a front kick to maintain control of distance and protect against takedowns.
Did Strickland train with Alex Pereira before?
Yes. The UFC’s Countdown footage shows Pereira participating in Strickland’s camp, and the broader context is that ex-rivals have shared training time in the past—building a familiarity that makes Poatan’s tactical comments feel more than ceremonial.
