Alex Pereira spills secret behind dominating Jan Blachowicz coming off the Israel Adesanya KO
Alex Pereira recently revealed how he was able to dominate Jan Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut bout, following a knockout defeat to Israel Adesanya.
Former UFC middleweight champion Pereira is gearing up to take on former 205-pound champion Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 295, competing for the vacant light heavyweight championship. The pay-per-view event is scheduled for November 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Prior to his upcoming title fight, 'Poatan' clinched a gritty split decision victory over Jan Blachowicz in the co-main event of UFC 291 in July. This marked Alex Pereira's debut in the 205-pound division, following a crushing knockout loss to Israel Adesanya that cost him his middleweight title at UFC 287 in April.
During a recent conversation with Daniel Cormier, Alex Pereira was queried about his showing against the 40-year-old Polish at a high-altitude venue in Utah. Pereira disclosed that moving to a higher weight class, motivated by weight-cutting difficulties, aided him in completing all three rounds of the fight (translated from Portuguese):
"Coming off the loss to Adesanya, I know the factor that played in that loss was the weight cut. It played a big part in my game, and I knew that fighting in this newer weight class, I would not have to go through the heavy cut, so I would definitely feel better."
He added:
"People watching the fight thought that I was the one that was going to get tired, but they actually saw Blachowicz as the one getting tired. For that fight, I did a great camp, and I was not worried about what passed with my last fight at middleweight than fighting stronger guys, but I actually went there feeling good."
Check out Pereira's comments below (from 5:22):
Alex Pereira previews his upcoming fight against Jiri Prochazka
Earning a title shot in only his second appearance in the light heavyweight division, Alex Pereira is poised to step into the octagon this Saturday with the aim of securing his second UFC championship within a two-year period.
After the announcement of the highly awaited clash with Jiri Prochazka, 'Poatan' provided a preview of his fight on his YouTube channel:
"It's gonna be a fight, a real spectacle, because it's different styles. But it's a style everyone loves, and I'm super stoked to have booked this fight. I'm sure it's gonna be a blast, I don't think anyone will regret watching this fight. Getting more technical, talking about Jiri, he's a seasoned guy. Everyone knows, former champion, strong guy, his style can be a bit tricky to figure out but I've got loads of experience. I'm used to this kind of fighter. Especially a striker."
Check out the comments below (from 2:38):