Salt Lake City, Utah — Former middleweight champ Alex Pereira fought his way to a close split decision win over ex-light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.
Pereira (8-2) was making his 205 pound debut in the fight, widely considered something of a title eliminator. It wasn’t an easy welcome to the weight class for “Poatan,” who was taken down and put in some tight submission holds, before surviving and coming back in rounds two and three.
Surviving that first round is something of a point of pride for Pereira, he agreed following the event.
“Absolutely. We talk about Jan Blachowicz, very experienced guy. He had 37 professional fights. He’s been seasoned, been through war,” Pereira told media outlets including Cageside Press. “Some people might expect a little more, but I think you can see my evolution on the ground in what I could show.”
Pereira had no worries that the judges might award Blachowicz the fight, despite Jan finishing the third round with a last-minute takedown. “That little takedown, I took no damage after that. I would be sad if somebody gave the guy the fight.”
The win over Blachowicz has likely earned Pereira a shot at light heavyweight gold. The 205lb title currently sits vacant, due to an injury to champ Jamahal Hill. Prior to Hill winning the belt, it was Jiri Prochazka vacating due to injury. It’s Prochazka who is likely next up, but Pereira doesn’t care who he fights.
“Anybody. I think the toughest guy I could get is Jan, a former champ. So whoever they put in front of me, I’m going to train, I’m going to leave with the win.”
Pereira’s quick ascent up the ranks in the UFC surprised many. After all, he claimed the UFC middleweight title in just his fourth fight with the company. Despite losing it back to rival Israel Adesanya in an immediate rematch, we’re already talking about another title shot for Pereira. The Brazilian himself is not surprised by his progress.
“I’m not surprised. I have a great team,” said Pereira. “My manager, my friends, I live in a good atmosphere, positive. That’s all that I need, a chance. Give me a chance and I’ll show my work.”
On the Adesanya subject, the pair now fight in separate weight classes, but don’t close the door on a third UFC fight (they also have two in kickboxing, both of which Pereira won) just yet.
“Before my last fight happened, when I made weight, I told the guys I was going to be for now taking a break from that weight class. That it was getting hard a little bit, too many cuts in a short span of time.” Now, the plan is to do one more fight at light heavyweight, take some time off, and then “fight in the lower weight class, at middleweight.” In Pereira’s mind, we’re “1-1 at middleweight. I won one in middleweight, Israel won the other one. So nothing’s more fair than making the trilogy at middleweight.”
Watch the full UFC 291 post-fight press conference with Alex Pereira above.
