"The ritual has already begun" - Fans react to Alex Pereira shaving his head ahead of Jiri Prochazka title fight

Alex Pereira is set to make his return to the octagon this weekend in an attempt to defend his light heavyweight title for the second time as he faces Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 303. The pair previously clashed for the vacant light heavyweight title last November at UFC 295, with the former winning the bout via second-round TKO.

Days ahead of the UFC 303 bout, ESPN MMA shared footage of 'Poatan' shaving his head and captioned the post:

"Poatan looking ready for #UFC303 ✂️ (via @alexpoatanpereira)"

Check out the footage of Alex Pereira shaving his head ahead of UFC 303 below:

Fans shared their reaction to the light heavyweight championship receiving a hair cut. @gabriel_mlopez alluded to Prochazka's comments that 'Poatan' uses magic to win fights, stating:

"The ritual has already begun"

@itzsean18 questioned why Pereira shaves his head:

"Crazy how he has such a good hairline for his age but decides to have no hair 😂"

@j.oshhuaa_ suggested that the hair cut is what changes him into 'Poatan':

"This the transition from Alex pereira to poatan"

@mma_news24 shockingly labeled the two-division champion as overrated:

"Pereira is the most overrated fighter on the planet today. Early stoppage win in both title fights against Izzy and Jiri. Split decision Robbery over 40yo Jan blachwociz. I can not wait for Ankalaev to show pereira levels . Pereira needs to stop running he knows he has no grappling at all."

Check out the best fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

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Daniel Cormier warns Jiri Prochazka of strategy ahead of Alex Pereira clash

Jiri Prochazka was able to get past Aleksandar Rakic via second-round TKO at UFC 300, however, he took plenty of damage early on. Daniel Cormier warned the No.1-ranked light heavyweight against implementing the same strategy against the Alex Pereira on the UFC 303 preview show, stating:

"Prochazka just decided against Rakic that tonight it's not happening and even though he was beat up from the leg kicks, he just went and attacked him. You can not do that against Alex Pereira. You've got to be more cautious."

The UFC Hall of Famer continued:

"When Jiri fought Rakic, he just said, 'I'm not getting beat by you,' and he just kind of walked him down and knocked him out. You can not do that against Alex. You'll get knocked out."

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Jiri Prochazka's strategy ahead of UFC 303 below (starting at the 2:18 mark):

Rakic landed 36 significant strikes in the first round of the bout, 20 more than Prochazka. 17 of the strikes came via leg kick as the No.1-ranked light heavyweight did not appear to make an effort to defend the strikes. While his legs looked affected due to the damage, he was able to bounce back in the second round and pick up a TKO finish.