UFC Fight Pass commentator Carlos Barreto expressed his disappointment at Alex Pereira’s decision to call out Israel Adesanya for a trilogy fight, following his championship victory at UFC 295. According to Barreto’s weekly videocast, Papo de Luta, he pointed out that Adesanya had previously tried to move up to light heavyweight, losing his first fight against Jan Blachowicz. On the other hand, Pereira had moved up, defeated Blachowicz, and secured the belt after defeating another previous champion, Jiri Prochazka. Barreto reminded everyone that Adesanya had already announced that he was taking time off, and still had unfinished issues to resolve at middleweight with fighters Sean Strickland or Dricus Du Plessis.
Barreto went on to say that the best storyline for Pereira, also known as “Poatan”, would unquestionably involve Jamahal Hill. He noted that Glover Teixeira had been defeated by Prochazka, an outcome that “Poatan” had subsequently avenged. In Barretto’s opinion, the perfect opportunity had presented itself for “Poatan” to tell Hill, “get well soon, I´m waiting for you and I´m going to beat you up and avenge Glover again.” He asserted that this narrative would be considerably lucrative for “Poatan”, potentially providing him with the dual titles of UFC and Glory double champion as well as the role of a double avenger.
In contrast, Barreto commended Prochazka for expressing his acceptance of referee Marc Goddard’s controversial stoppage during the UFC 295 main event. He noted that Prochazka exhibited remarkable character and could easily have agreed with Joe Rogan’s perspective, criticizing Goddard and requesting an immediate rematch, a request that might have been granted by the UFC. Instead, Barreto admired Prochazka’s acknowledgment that the referee had made the right call.
Looking forward, Barreto anticipates a lengthy reign for the newly-appointed interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. As a grizzled veteran of the UFC and Pride, Barreto attests to Aspinall being a rounded fighter. He views Aspinall as a speedy, skilled boxer with ground skills not seen since the times of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum. Further, he lauds Aspinall for his champion’s mindset, highlighting Aspinall’s readiness to take on short-notice fights against formidable opponents like Pavlovich. In Barreto’s eyes, Aspinall has secured a lasting legacy in the UFC, especially with the imminent retirement of fighters like Jones and Miocic.