Alex Pereira turned 36 at the start of the month, but there was no time for a party, cake, or even a small celebration, as the former middleweight champion was already dialed all the way in to preparations for his light heavyweight debut this weekend against Jan Blachowicz.
“I’m very focused on the fight,” he said through his coach and translator, Plinio Cruz. “No party.”
Pereira’s move to the 205-pound ranks and bout with Blachowicz, which serves as the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC 291 pay-per-view at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, comes a little more than three months after the intimidating Brazilian fighter dropped the middleweight title back to rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 in Miami.
Order UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
Following the contest, UFC President Dana White hinted at Pereira’s next fight taking place at light heavyweight, and soon after, this weekend’s contest was announced.
While some at the time felt like it was a little hasty, given that Pereira and Adesanya are now deadlocked at one win apiece in the UFC, “Poatan” and his team had previously discussed the move, recognizing the toll fighting as frequently as he has over the last several years took on his body.
“I’m always motivated, but now I feel it even more because when I was fighting those middleweight fights, it took a toll on my body; it was hard,” said Pereira, who stands six-foot-four and looks like a monster even when standing next to UFC heavyweight Parker Porter, who spent time with the light heavyweight new arrival ahead of this weekend’s fight. “I always made it, I can still make it, but my body needed a little break because it was five cuts in a year.”
How To Watch UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
Because he’s been omnipresent in the championship conversation since touching down in the UFC, it’s easy to forget that Pereira has yet to reach the two-year anniversary of his promotional debut, which comes in November.
He went four months (give or take) between each of his first four fights, claiming the middleweight strap with a fifth-round stoppage win over Adesanya at UFC 281 one year and six days after his debut, with a five-month gap wait before running it back with “The Last Stylebender” earlier this year.
Although Saturday’s contest still comes just short of four months since his last appearance, the shift up a division has Pereira in much better spirits, feeling incredibly focused as he readies to make the walk to the Octagon once again.
"Now, I feel way better; stronger, recharged and revitalized,” he said. “The fact that I don’t have to lose almost 20 pounds the night before the fight is something I’ve very excited about. I’m excited about my next performance in this weight class.
“I’ve kept my agility and skills I had at middleweight,” he added. “I feel good.”
That should be a sobering thought for anyone else tasked with sharing the cage with the decorated Brazilian kickboxer in the light heavyweight division, especially Blachowicz.
On his own merits and skills, Pereira is a dangerous matchup for anyone in the 205-pound weight class — a menacing presence inside the cage with quick-fire, explosive weaponry always at the ready – but for Saturday’s pairing with the Polish former champion, he has the added benefit of training every day with the man that knocked Blachowicz from atop that perch, as well, Glover Teixeira.
UFC 291 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | Poirier vs Gaethje | Błachowicz vs Pereira
“It helps a lot — the experience and everything he’s been through with him; he can tell us how to do stuff and how not to do stuff,” Pereira said of training with Teixeira, who submitted Blachowicz in the second round of their championship engagement at UFC 267 on October 30, 2021. “It’s also the confidence of seeing the way that Glover beat Blachowicz, and how I feel when I train with Glover boosts my confidence, so I feel very good about it.”
In fact, Pereira is feeling good about everything at the moment, the move to light heavyweight seemingly injecting him with an increased focus.
Before Jamahal Hill was forced to the sidelines with a torn Achilles, Pereira was ready to see this weekend’s bout with Blachowicz as a greater challenge than facing “Sweet Dreams” for the belt, citing the possibility of going five rounds with the former champion as the one thing that could be a potential difficulty.
While some at the time felt like it was a little hasty, given that Pereira and Adesanya are now deadlocked at one win apiece in the UFC, “Poatan” and his team had previously discussed the move, recognizing the toll fighting as frequently as he has over the last several years took on his body.
“I’m always motivated, but now I feel it even more because when I was fighting those middleweight fights, it took a toll on my body; it was hard,” said Pereira, who stands six-foot-four and looks like a monster even when standing next to UFC heavyweight Parker Porter, who spent time with the light heavyweight new arrival ahead of this weekend’s fight. “I always made it, I can still make it, but my body needed a little break because it was five cuts in a year.”
Because he’s been omnipresent in the championship conversation since touching down in the UFC, it’s easy to forget that Pereira has yet to reach the two-year anniversary of his promotional debut, which comes in November.
He went four months (give or take) between each of his first four fights, claiming the middleweight strap with a fifth-round stoppage win over Adesanya at UFC 281 one year and six days after his debut, with a five-month gap wait before running it back with “The Last Stylebender” earlier this year.
MORE UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2 Breakdown | Watch Every Episode Of UFC 291 Embedded
Although Saturday’s contest still comes just short of four months since his last appearance, the shift up a division has Pereira in much better spirits, feeling incredibly focused as he readies to make the walk to the Octagon once again.
"Now, I feel way better; stronger, recharged and revitalized,” he said. “The fact that I don’t have to lose almost 20 pounds the night before the fight is something I’ve very excited about. I’m excited about my next performance in this weight class.
“I’ve kept my agility and skills I had at middleweight,” he added. “I feel good.”
That should be a sobering thought for anyone else tasked with sharing the cage with the decorated Brazilian kickboxer in the light heavyweight division, especially Blachowicz.
On his own merits and skills, Pereira is a dangerous matchup for anyone in the 205-pound weight class — a menacing presence inside the cage with quick-fire, explosive weaponry always at the ready – but for Saturday’s pairing with the Polish former champion, he has the added benefit of training every day with the man that knocked Blachowicz from atop that perch, as well, Glover Teixeira.
“It helps a lot — the experience and everything he’s been through with him; he can tell us how to do stuff and how not to do stuff,” Pereira said of training with Teixeira, who submitted Blachowicz in the second round of their championship engagement at UFC 267 on October 30, 2021. “It’s also the confidence of seeing the way that Glover beat Blachowicz, and how I feel when I train with Glover boosts my confidence, so I feel very good about it.”
In fact, Pereira is feeling good about everything at the moment, the move to light heavyweight seemingly injecting him with an increased focus.
Before Jamahal Hill was forced to the sidelines with a torn Achilles, Pereira was ready to see this weekend’s bout with Blachowicz as a greater challenge than facing “Sweet Dreams” for the belt, citing the possibility of going five rounds with the former champion as the one thing that could be a potential difficulty.
He was ready to dispatch Blachowicz on Saturday and make another expeditious return to action, believing he could hustle back and secure a championship opportunity opposite Hill before the last injured champion to relinquish the title, Jiri Prochazka, was ready to return to action.
While the landscape has certainly changed, Pereira still would like to handle his business on Saturday in Salt Lake City and turn things around rather quickly.
“First we have to think about this fight, but everything goes fine — we win by knockout or everything goes well for three rounds — I don’t care about waiting too long,” he said. “October, November — I want to fight right away; I would like to fight as soon as possible.”
But don’t confuse his forward-thinking for overlooking Blachowicz, the 40-year-old stalwart who has 10-2-1 over his last 13 appearances and enters off a draw against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 last December.
Pereira knows he has his hands full, though he does believe that stylistically, the Polish star is a good matchup for him.
“Technically speaking, Jan is a complete fighter — he has skills everywhere — but he’s mostly a striker,” he said, offering cursory thoughts on what Blachowicz brings to the table this weekend. “The way that he fights — he fights going forward and that plays into my style. I’m not going to reveal too much, but I do see some openings. It’ll be a good fight.
“If everything goes fine with this fight, I’ll be fighting for the light heavyweight title.”
And after that, he’d like to take care of some unfinished business, as long as it still makes sense.
“I can still make middleweight,” he said. “Me and Adesanya are 1-1 at middleweight. When I win these next two fights — (defeat) Jan and then get the belt — I want to fight Adesanya as the champ, but since we’re 1-1 at middleweight, I want to go down and fight him one last time at middleweight.
“If Adesanya isn’t the champ, there is no reason to call him out,” he added. “But if everything goes well, I want to have the trilogy at middleweight.”
UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2 took place live from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 29, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
