Tag: Jan Blachowicz

Why Alex Pereira expects Jiri Prochazka to be an easier fight than Jan Blachowicz

Alex Pereira sees Jan Blachowicz as a tougher test than Jiri Prochazka.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] sees [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] as a tougher test than [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag].

Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) made good in his light heavyweight debut when he edged out former champion Blachowicz at UFC 291. With the win, “Poatan” is expected to face Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) for the vacant 205-pound title.

Pereira’s mentor and coach Glover Teixeira fought Prochazka in an all-out war at UFC 275. Teixeira ultimately was submitted late in Round 5, but was en route to winning before he got finished. Pereira helped Teixeira prep for that fight, so knows what to expect from Prochazka.

“I always analyze some things when I’m helping someone – in this case, helping Glover,” Pereira said in a translated interview with Laerte Viana. “So I’ve already studied him. But when he was going to fight Glover, it’s different now, the strategy. But I’ve seen some things there, and I’ll tell you, it’s a tough fight.”

Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) was able to take Pereira down and put him in a compromising position early in the fight – a strategy he was successfully able to employ when he handed middleweight champ Israel Adesanya his first-career loss.

But Pereira doesn’t see Prochazka going for a similar game plan, and for that reason, he sees himself having more success against him than he did Blachowicz.

“I think – and some people won’t agree – but I think Jan is a tougher fight because he has that grappling game, and it makes it a bit harder for me, makes my striking less effective,” Pereira said. “But I think it will be different with Jiri. I think he’ll come to fight on the feet.

“I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who will come to grapple. Everyone says that everyone who fights me will want to take me down. He might do that, but I’m not believing it yet. He’s a guy who will expose himself more, and I think it will be a dangerous fight. But I believe the matchup is better for me than against Jan.”

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Chael Sonnen: UFC 291 judges should’ve named Jan Blachowicz winner vs. Alex Pereira

Chael Sonnen thinks Alex Pereira shouldn’t have gotten his hand raised vs. Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] shouldn’t have gotten his hand raised vs. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] at UFC 291.

Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) edged out Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) by split decision in Saturday’s co-main event at Delta Center at Salt Lake City, making good in his light heavyweight debut.

Blachowicz thought he was robbed. While Sonnen wouldn’t go as far as calling it a robbery, he thinks the judges got it wrong. Only judge Junichiro Kamijo agreed with Sonnen’s scorecard.

“There’s no reasonable world where Alex Pereira won that fight and that’s not Chael’s opinion. That’s math,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “He lost Rounds 1 and 3.”

Sonnen thinks Blachowicz’s body language harmed him, when he looked visibly exhausted potentially due to the altitude from Round 2 onwards.

“It was wrong,” Sonnen continued. “It wasn’t a robbery. I have seen worse. It was wrong. There is nothing by the numbers that could get you to the conclusion that Alex won. You can look at takedowns, you could look at attempts, you could look at strikes, you could look at kicks, you could look at defense and see who slipped more punches.

“There was nothing by the numbers that could get you to a belief that Alex won. The judges factored in a criteria, and they’re known to do this. It’s just not within the rules, of fatigue. Jan Blachowicz was exhausted and Alex was not. Jan Blachowicz could not move and Alex could.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

Daniel Cormier: Jan Blachowicz didn’t do enough damage to warrant him winning vs. Alex Pereira

Daniel Cormier agrees with the judges’ decision to award Alex Pereira the win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] agrees with the judges’ decision to award [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] the win over [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] at UFC 291.

In his light heavyweight debut Saturday, Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) defeated former champion Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) by split decision at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. It’s a decision Blachowicz disagreed with.

Blachowicz took Pereira down and control him in Round 1, but slowed down significantly in Round 2 where Pereira capitalized with pressure. Round 3 was close, but Blachowicz’s late takedown wasn’t enough to get him the win. Cormier thinks Blachowicz didn’t inflict enough damage to get the nod.

“I thought it went well,” Cormier said on “DC & RC.” “I think we underestimated the grappling skills of Pereira because he is a striker. But we’ve got to remember, he’s training with Glover Teixeira every single day. So, for him to be able to survive with Blachowicz on his back, (it) should not be surprising because Glover submitted Jan Blachowicz when he got him down and dominated him on the ground. So, for him to be able to survive Glover would tell me he would be OK.

“But, I think that Jan Blachowicz might have been the only fighter that the altitude really took an effect on because he got tired as the fight went on. And sure, he got a takedown in the third round, but it wasn’t done early enough and he didn’t do enough damage to warrant him getting a victory. He was very upset. He tweeted that he got robbed, but I do not agree with him. I thought Alex Pereira won the fight. He showed that he’s a very capable fighter at 205 pounds.”

Pereira’s win likely set him up for a vacant light heavyweight title fight against former champion Jiri Prochazka – a fight Cormier sees as a stern test for “Poatan.”

“It’s a difficult fight for Alex Pereira because of Prochazka’s power,” Cormier said. “He will really feel the power of Prochazka, but the reality is, this guy has seen power before. He was 225 pounds on fight day. He weighed in at 205 on Friday. This is a massive fighter.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

UFC 291 post-event facts: Justin Gaethje’s insane bonus streak continues

The best facts to come out of UFC 291, which saw Justin Gaethje add to his bonus run and Derrick Lewis retake the octagon knockout record.

UFC 291 arguably was the event of the year on paper coming in, and the fights lived up to the hype with nine finishes in 11 bouts at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

The main event delivered perhaps the best knockout of the year so far when [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) got revenge on [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) in their lightweight “BMF” title rematch courtesy of a brutal second-round head kick finish.

A number of historic feats occurred throughout the lineup. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 291.

UFC 291 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Poirier, Gaethje net $32,000 for ‘BMF’ title fight

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 291 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $271,500.

SALT LAKE CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 291 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $271,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 291 took place at Delta Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 291 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Vinicius Salvador[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Uros Medic[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,051,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,640,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

Video: Watch UFC 291 post-fight press conference live stream on MMA Junkie

Check out a live stream of the UFC 291 post-fight press conference in Salt Lake City, beginning immediately after the event.

SALT LAKE CITY – UFC 291 takes place Saturday at Delta Center, and you can watch a live video stream of the post-event news conference here on MMA Junkie.

Expected to take part in the press conference are the winners of the top main card bouts. [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag], [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag], [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag], and/or [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] may participate to give their thoughts on their fights.

You can watch the press conference in the video above, which will go live upon the conclusion of the headlining bout.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

UFC 291 results: Alex Pereira earns split decision nod over Jan Blachowicz in light heavyweight debut

Alex Pereira may be up for a shot a the light heavyweight title after defeating former champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] may have punched his ticket to a light heavyweight title fight after a former champion of the division.

The co-feature of UFC 291 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City was a key light heavyweight matchup between Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC). It was a close battle, but after earning split 29-28 scores from the judges, Pereira emerged victorious in his first light heavyweight fight in the UFC.

Blachowicz’s early gameplan was to eliminate the striking threat, as he looked for a takedown just 10 seconds into the fight. Pereira kept his legs underneath him and countered with a guillotine, but it wasn’t there. After adjusting, Blachowicz was able to get the fight to the ground and take Pereira’s back. Pereira remained calm with the full weight of Blachowicz on him, and defended submission attempts. Blachowicz racked up a lot of control time in Round 1.

Pereira worked behind the left jab early in Round 2. Blachowicz responded with leg kicks, which prompted Pereira to respond with a few hard kicks of his own. After hard punches were traded upstairs, Blachowicz completed a takedown and began working from top in guard. After wall walking, Pereira got back to his feet and eventually separated. Both fighters appeared fatigued, but Pereira kept the pressure high in the striking game. Hard punches from Pereira kept Blachowicz covering up against the cage.

With just five minutes to go, the fight was up for grabs.

Pereira led the dance in striking exchanges early in the third. Blachowicz responded with a nice charging combination, but Pereira’s volume remained higher. Midway through the round, Pereira shucked off a takedown attempt, and got right back to marching forward. A crisp left hand popped Blachowicz’s head back. With 40 seconds to go, Blachowicz grabbed a leg for a takedown, and finished out the fight in top position.

The judges were split in their decision, with dueling 29-28 scores going in the favor of Pereira. Judges Derek Cleary and Ron McCarthy scored the fight for Pereira, while Junichiro Kamijo scored it for Blachowicz. The third round was indeed the deciding frame.

Pereria’s light heavyweight move proved successful following a rematch loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. The victory puts him in a position to fight for the vacant light heavyweight title in the near future.

Blachowicz walks away with his first loss since losing his light heavyweight crown to Pereira’s coach, Glover Teixiera at UFC 267 in 2021. He rebounded from that outing by picking up a TKO win over Aleksandar Rakic and fighting to a draw against Magomed Ankalev at UFC 282.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 291 results include:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

Twitter reacts to Alex Pereira’s narrow victory over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291

The MMA community reacted to Alex Pereira’s successful 205-pound debut vs. Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] potentially positioned himself for a light heavyweight title shot on Saturday when he defeated former champion [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] in the UFC 291 co-main event.

Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), a former middleweight titleholder, emerged victorious in his 205-pound debut when he earned a split decision over Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) in the high-stakes bout at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

After Jamahal Hill recently relinquished the title, there’s an opportunity for two fighters to slide into the vacant title bout. Pereira may have done just that.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Pereira’s victory over Blachowicz at UFC 291.

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Alex Pereira def. Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Alex Pereira’s split decision win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] at UFC 291 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. (Photos by Jeffrey Swinger, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 live-streamed watch-along with MMA Junkie Radio

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of UFC 291 in Salt Lake City.

UFC 291 takes place Saturday headlined by the return of the “BMF” championship, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

In the main event, former interim lightweight champions [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) meet for the “BMF” title. And in the co-headliner, former light heavyweight champ [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) takes on ex-middleweight champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who is moving up from 185 pounds.

UFC 291 takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

Below is the lineup of fights included in the watch-along:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje – for “BMF” title
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
  • Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland

PRELIMINARY CARD (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m.)

  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Trevin Giles
  • Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara
  • Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro
  • Jake Matthews vs. Darrius Flowers

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.