“I don’t think anyone will regret watching this fight” - Alex Pereira shares thoughts on anticipated title clash with Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka are set to lock horns in the co-main event of UFC 295 in November to decide the light heavyweight champion.
The title is currently without a holder after Jamahal Hill was forced to vacate the throne several months ago after sustaining a serious Achilles injury.
Alex Pereira made his light heavyweight debut against former champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291, a bout 'Poatan' won via unanimous decision. He will be making a short turnaround to face Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 and will be fighting for the third time in seven months should he make it to fight night in November.
Ahead of the highly anticipated co-main event clash, the former middleweight champion shared his thoughts on the bout:
"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."
Watch the video below from 2:38:
Jiri Prochazka will be returning to the octagon against Alex Pereira for the first time since his light heavyweight title victory over Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 in June 2022.
Prochazka defeated Teixeira via submission in the fifth round, but severely injured his shoulder in training camp for his first title defense, a rematch with Teixeira. Following the injury, he vacated the title, and has been rehabilitating the shoulder ahead of his return.
Alex Pereira says he wanted to fight Jiri Prochazka in October at UFC 294
According to Alex Pereira, he initially asked the promotion if they could schedule the fight with Jiri Prochazka for UFC 294, which takes place in Abu Dhabi in October.
The card is headlined by a rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira, and Pereira believes that Prochazka was taken aback by his request.
Alex Pereira recently shared his thoughts on the fight on YouTube, where he said:
"We proposed a date in Abu Dhabi, just a couple of months after my last fight, and my managers got in touch with the organization. We waited a few days for a response, they got back to us saying that Jiri wasn't ready yet. Man, I think we caught him off guard. I'm not saying this in a bad way... I reckon Jiri was caught off guard." [0:50-1:36 in aforementioned video]