Alex Pereira explains why Jan Blachowicz is “the perfect opponent” for his light heavyweight debut at UFC 291

By Cole Shelton - July 25, 2023

Alex Pereira believes Jan Blachowicz is the perfect opponent for him to make his light heavyweight debut against.

Alex Pereira

Pereira is set to move up to light heavyweight in the co-main event of UFC 291 against Blachowicz in an intriguing matchup. The Brazilian has always been a bigger middleweight and he said even before his KO loss to Israel Adesanya he was thinking about making the move to light heavyweight.

“For sure, my UFC career has moved very fast. I showed everyone that this is where I am meant to be. I’m doing what I love which is fighting. Very quickly I got the opportunity to fight for the title,” Alex Pereira said on the UFC 291 promo video. “Of course, there was my last fight, where I tried to make my first title defense. This is part of my history now, but for sure this is not the end of my story. I made the decision just before my last fight that I would move up to light heavyweight next. Now I have the opportunity of getting close to the light heavyweight title.”

RELATED: Jamahal Hill vacates UFC light heavyweight title after rupturing his achilles.

When Alex Pereira officially made the move to light heavyweight, he wasn’t sure who it would be against. However, when he got offered Jan Blachowicz, he was pleased as he feels like this is the perfect fight for him to prove he should get a title shot at 205lbs.

“I think Blachowicz is the perfect opponent for me. He’s a former champion, but I’m going to do what I always do. I’ll be pushing the pace, being aggressive, moving forward, and striking hard,” Pereira continued. “This is my style, and I will always fight this way. If I get the win, I get a title shot. Without a doubt, this fight will be a war.”

With Alex Pereira planning on being aggressive against Jan Blachowicz, he expects to get the KO win and secure a title shot.


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Alex Pereira Jan Blachowicz UFC