The light heavyweight division will soon be injected with a sizable amount of additional power…
That’s courtesy of Alex Pereira’s arrival, with the former middleweight champion set to debut in a new environment this summer following the end of his brief title reign at 185 pounds in April.
Following his knockout loss to Israel Adesanya, whom he initially defeated for the belt last November, “Poatan” chose against pursuing an MMA trilogy with “The Last Stylebender,” and will instead chase ‘champ-champ’ status.
That fresh campaign will start at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City on July 29. Pereira will jump right into the mix at light heavyweight by sharing the Octagon with former titleholder Jan Błachowicz.
And having seen Alex Pereira affected by Adesanya’s strikes in both of their bouts inside the cage, one UFC legend has warned the Brazilian about the power that will await him in Utah.
Daniel Cormier reminds Alex Pereira Of Jan Blachowicz’s ‘Legendary Polish Power’ ahead UFC 291
During a recent episode of ESPN MMA’s DC & RC show, former heavyweight and light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier assessed Alex Pereira’s upcoming first taste of the 205-pound division in the UFC.
When Jan Blachowicz faced Adesanya in 2021, he utilized his strength and grappling advantage to outpoint the Nigerian-New Zealander. While some expect him to employ the same gameplan come July 29, Cormier believes the Polish star has more than enough power on the feet to hurt “Poatan.”
“We have seen Adesanya hurt Pereira in two fights,” Cormier noted. “He can’t get hit by Jan Błachowicz. Błachowicz hits so hard, bro. I have seen Jan Blachowicz almost decapitate guys; Luke Rockhold, Dominick Reyes. The way that he was knocking guys out for a while was very scary.”
Like “DC” said, Jan Blachowicz has certainly proven his patented “Legendary Polish Power” inside the Octagon.
And given his public promise to test his standup skills against the former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion, perhaps he’ll target a return to highlight-reel knockouts in Salt Lake City this summer.