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“Izzy Is Harder to Get Down Than Alex” – Former UFC Champion Sends Stern Warning to Alex Pereira Ahead of Jan Blachowicz Clash at UFC 291

Published 07/07/2023, 4:22 PM EDT

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Alex Pereira has his work cut out in Jan Blachowicz. The Brazilian fighter will square off against the former UFC champion at UFC 291 on July 29 at the Delta Center, Salt Lake City. Not only it will be his first fight since he lost his middleweight championship to rival Israel Adesanya but also marks his debut in the 205 lbs division. ‘Poatan’ seemingly has addressed his weight-cutting issues with his move up. However, an issue still lingers that pundits believe might halt his title push.

The former middleweight champion has established himself as a fierce knockout artist and his left punch is dreaded by the opponents. But his ground game leaves a lot to be desired. His opponents have exploited his shortcomings in grappling and, most recently, ‘The Last Stylebender’ toyed with him when he resorted to a grappling strategy. Things will take an ugly turn when the Polish fighter will test his ground game. And Matt Serra doesn’t believe he will get up once Blachowicz takes him down.

Joe Rogan and Serra address the Achilles heel of Alex Pereira

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The UFC color commentator sat down with ‘The Terror’, John Rallo, and Din Thomas on JRE MMA Show #134. In one segment, the standup comic sought the opinions of everyone across the table on how the showdown with the title implication will unfold.

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Serra brought forth the flashes of the title fight between Blachowicz and Adesanya. The Polish fighter had dominated the Nigerian-Kiwi fighter on the canvas. In comparison, Pereira’s grappling skills are paler.

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Serra said, “Izzy is harder to get down than Alex and I think Jan is gonna get him down and I don’t think he is getting up.”

Thus, Blachowicz will test Pereira’s ambitions to reign supreme at the light heavyweight. The famed podcaster then pointed out Adesanya couldn’t get up in the later rounds and lauded the 40-year-old’s grappling.

The 55-year-old commentator stated, “[Jan] Blachowicz is very high level on the feet. He is very high level. He got this wild thing that he’ll do.”

Rogan continued, “He will go shin to shin with you, he will kick your f*cking shins. He is like the only guy seen that consistently does that. He f*cked [Magomed] Ankalaev,” .

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Following this, Rallo chimed in and sided with the Brazilian fighter. He iterated the former middleweight champion would get it done as long as the fight stays on the feet. But the former MMA fighter also expressed skepticism about how Pereira would fare when the fight switches to the mat.

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What do you make of this amusing interaction? Do you agree with him that Pereira is facing an uphill task in the light heavyweight division? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Rohit Lohan

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Rohit Lohan is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports, with a passion for the sport that has spanned over a decade. His fascination with MMA stems from the thrill of knockouts, and he strives to bring that same level of excitement to his writing. Rohit's love for gripping stories is reflected in his articles, where he masterfully weaves together the latest news with compelling narratives.
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Edited by:

Anuj Jacob