Light heavyweight debutant Alex Pereira is looking for a title shot following his split decision win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.
The former middleweight champion defeated Blachowicz in the co-main event slot of a stellar card in Salt Lake City, Utah. He overcame early adversity to come back and win the highly anticipated bout via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Round one saw the Pole control ‘Poatan’ on the ground and threaten with multiple submission attempts. However, the 36-year-old’s cardio proved fruitful in rounds two and three where he was able to keep the fight standing and pick his opponent apart with low kicks and a range of punches.
Pereira now wants a title opportunity at 205 lbs after defeating the division’s former champion. Jamahal Hill recently vacated the belt due to an injury sustained in a basketball game.
Speaking in his post-fight interview, Pereira said: “My focus is always the belt. I want to fight for the belt, it doesn’t matter against who.”
Is Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka the Fight to Make?
The 205 lb belt has been somewhat of a hot potato since Jon Jones vacated to move to heavyweight. At present, the belt has no holder due to Jamahal Hill’s injury – before that, it was held by Jiri Prochazka.
The Czech is nearing a return from a shoulder injury, potentially setting up a fascinating fight between himself and Pereira. The former Rizin champion weighed in via social media, saying: “No matter who, I am coming.”
Current middleweight champion and nemesis of Pereira, Israel Adesanya, had recently been rumoured with a move up to the adjacent weight class. But, despite the opportunity of an MMA trilogy between the pair, the Brazilian quickly shut this down in his post-fight press conference.
‘Stylebender’ attempted double-champ status in 2021 but was outpointed by the-then champion, Blachowicz.
Quotes via LowKickMMA
What do you think of Alex Pereira’s chances at competing for the light heavyweight title? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
