Alex Pereira was on a tear in the UFC until he fell to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. The Brazilian powerhouse captured the UFC middleweight title in only his fourth fight under the promotion. He finished the formidable Adesanya in November 2022 to capture the middleweight throne. Despite losing to ‘Izzy’ via a devastating KO in the rematch in April earlier this year, Pereira is gearing up to face former LHW champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 on July 29. A win over the #3 ranked light heavyweight could earn Pereira a shot at the title. Hence, the fight piqued the interest of UFC 205 lbs champion Jamahal Hill.
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‘Sweet Dreams’ gave his thoughts on the upcoming Pereira vs. Blachowicz fight in a recent interview with ‘MiddleEasy.’ The 32-year-old confirmed that he will have his first title defense against former champion Jiri Prochazka. However, the champion was also keeping a close watch on the potential number-one contender fight set for UFC 291. Responding to questions about the fight, Hill gave his thoughts on how Pereira vs. Blachowicz could play out.
Jamahal Hill chimes in on Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz
In the interview, Jamahal Hill confirmed that the winner of Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz would be the number one contender. Further, he also analyzed the advantages and disadvantages both stars would have in the fight.
Hill said, “I’d give the edge in the fight to Jan for the simple fact that Jan can strike. He has the ability to outstrike Pereira. Plus the ability to take him down and tie him up wan wear on him and beat him up if he’s able to expose the lack of grappling in his game.”
However, Hill did not count ‘Poatan’ out. The champion explained, “Alex is Alex, you know? He’s got, ‘Poatan’, stone in his hands, you know? So he can land big shots, he can easily clip Jan, and put him away.”
Hill further added, “He’s a big dude too, you know? He wasn’t a small middleweight. He’s going to have some good size, some good length in there, you know? [If] he can get his strikes on, get his strikes going to work, he can probably take Jan out.”
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Pereira’s grappling skills have always been questioned as he comes from a kickboxing background. The 35-year-old has only lost twice in MMA and one of them was via submission. Nevertheless, his power has been the difference-maker in most of his fights.
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Do you think Blachowicz can out-grapple Pereira and get the win? Or will Pereira knock out the former champion and stake his claim to the title? Let us know in the comments.
