Jan Blachowicz – Page 4 – Syndication Server

UFC 291 video: Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira final faceoff for possible title eliminator

Former champs Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira had their final UFC 291 faceoff at ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of their co-headliner.

SALT LAKE CITY – Former champs [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] had their final UFC 291 faceoff at ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of their light heavyweight co-headliner.

Former 205-pound titleholder Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) will welcome former 185-pound kingpin Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) to a new division on Saturday in what could put one man in position to fight of the belt recently vacated by Jamahal Hill.

After making weight on Friday morning, the pair came face-to-face for the final time at ceremonial weights, which went down at Delta Center, the same venue which hosts the pay-per-view main card following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Watch the video above to see Blachowicz and Pereira have their final staredown before UFC 291.

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

UFC 291 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: ‘What fear do you see? Ain’t no fear’

The “Embedded” fight-week video series is back to document what’s happening behind the scenes at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City.

The UFC is back with its ninth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

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 early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, the “BMF” title is on the line between 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), who fight in a rematch. Poirier won their first meeting in 2018 with a fourth-round TKO.

In the co-feature, former light heavyweight champion [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 to 205 pounds after he lost the 185-pound belt earlier this year.

In addition, [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] (28-11 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC), [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (29-14-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC), and [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) fights [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (24-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) on the main card.

The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Jan Blachowicz gets a haircut. Derrick Lewis and Tony Ferguson light up media day. Dustin Poirier passes time with games; Justin Gaethje hosts a BBQ. Original BMF champ Jorge Masvidal joins the 291 stars on stage for the press conference.

Also see:

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

UFC 291 video: Jan Blachowicz, Alex Pereira on weight for potential title eliminator

A massive fight in the light heavyweight division is official for UFC 291 after Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira made weight.

SALT LAKE CITY – A massive fight in the light heavyweight division is official for UFC 291 after [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] made weight for their co-main event showdown.

Former 205-pound champ Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) will welcome former middleweight titleholder Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) to a new division in their co-headliner clash, which takes place at Delta Center and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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Blachowicz was sharp as always on the scale at the UFC host hotel and came in at 205 pounds about five minutes into the two-hour window. Pereira was just a few fighters behind him and was 205.5 for what will be his first UFC appearance in the division.

Check out the video above to see Blachowicz and Pereira weigh in for the UFC 291 co-headliner.

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

UFC 291 press conference faceoffs: Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira, Ferguson vs. Green, more

The main card fights from Saturday’s stacked UFC 291 lineup faced off at the pre-fight press conference.

SALT LAKE CITY – The UFC 291 pre-fight press conference went down Thursday and it was the first opportunity to get a look at fighter staredown for the loaded event.

A stacked fight card headlined by a “BMF” title rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje goes down Saturday at Delta Center with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

In addition to the main event, a slate of marquee matchups are on tap including a potential light heavyweight title eliminator of [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), ranked welterweights [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] (27-11 MMA, 6-2 UFC) as well as [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) vs. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (24-9 MMA, 10-6 UFC), and a lightweight showdown of veterans [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) vs. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (29-15-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC).

All six pairings were in attendance at the pre-fight press conference, where they answered questions and engaged in faceoffs.

Check out the video above to see all the staredowns.

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

Israel Adesanya: Alex Pereira will knock out Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 because he hits harder

Israel Adesanya thinks Alex Pereira’s power will be too much for Jan Blachowicz in the UFC 291 co-main event in Salt Lake City.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s power will be too much for [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag].

Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) makes his light heavyweight debut against Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 291 co-main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

UFC middleweight champion Adesanya’s only two career losses came to Blachowicz and Pereira. Blachowicz took Adesanya down three times, and “The Stylebender” sees him trying to do the same to Pereira.

“For me, stylistically, it’s an exciting matchup,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “These are two guys that I fought, two guys that have both beat me. It’s interesting to see how that matchup will play into each other. Also, there’s different elements, as well – the grappling element, and Jan might just try and do that early on and take away his power, his chances of striking, and wear him down. I think in a three-round fight, I think it’ll be on the feet. Jan’s definitely going to try to take him down. He’s not stupid.”

Pereira knocked out Adesanya to dethrone him at UFC 281. The pair rematched at UFC 287, and Adesanya landed a knockout of his own to win the title back. Adesanya sees different approaches from both Pereira and Blachowicz in the fight.

“I think Alex will start fast – not crazy fast, but just put that pressure on straight away, make Jan feel his presence,” Adesanya said. “It’s what he likes to do. He likes to try and come in and own the space. The leg kick – he’s going to throw that leg kick because it’s hard to read.

“Jan’s going to take his time, patience, get as much reads as he can. But if Jan does what I think he’s going to do, he’s going to get caught with a left hook. … I don’t think this goes the distance. If it does, Jan wins.”

“Poatan” was able to stun Adesanya in both fights, and though Blachowicz is known for his “legendary Polish power,” Adesanya gives Pereira the advantage in that department, too. Adesanya also appears to have changed his tune from his original prediction when the matchup was first announced.

“I think Alex hits harder,” Adesanya said. “It’s the way he throws, the technique he throws with, the technique – he grounds himself. He’s not running. He’s not moving and throwing. He sits when he gets you where he wants you, especially against the fence. He’ll sit there and throw. That’s how he’s able to hit harder. Jan can definitely learn how to hit harder, but hey, if Jan gets him down, I think he’s just going to control him there for three rounds. Official pick: I’m going to go Alex by knockout.”

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

UFC 291 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Dustin Poirier’s dilemma with too many autographed event posters in his collection

The “Embedded” fight-week video series is back to document what’s happening behind the scenes at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City.

The UFC is back with its ninth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

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 early prelims on ESPN+.

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Bobby Green, Stephen Thompson, Michael Chiesa, Kevin Holland and Dustin Poirier kick off fight week at the hotel. Justin Gaethje’s parents arrive. Alex Pereira and Tony Ferguson push themselves in the gym.

Also see:

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

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Jan Blachowicz: UFC 291 bout against Alex Pereira will be like ‘personal rematch’ with Glover Teixeira

The co-main event of UFC 291 means a lot for Jan Blachowicz for a number of reasons, including a way to get back at an old foe.

SALT LAKE CITY – Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] may be fighting for gold once again, but first, he must get through another ex-champ in Alex Pereira.

In the co-feature of UFC 291, Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) welcomes former middleweight champ Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) to light heavyweight, in a key fight with title implications. The event takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+

According to Blachowicz, the promotion said the winner of this fight will be next up for a title fight, which recently became vacated due to an injury to Jamahal Hill. While the stakes of the fight don’t necessarily add any extra pressure for Bachowicz, he will be looking at his opponent as a means for revenge against Glover Teixeira, who knocked him off the light heavyweight throne at UFC 267.

“A little bit, I treat this like my personal rematch with Glover,” Blachowicz told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 291 media day. “Completely different fighters, but they train together, they are friends, train in one gym, he’s his coach – and for me, that will be like personal rematch.”

There was an air of humor in Blachowicz’s response, as he sat at the dias wearing a newly-received jacket from UFC senior vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky for achieving 50 clean USADA tests.

Since losing that bout by submission to Teixeira, Blachowicz bounced back into the win column seven months later by recording a TKO win against Aleksandar Rakic. That win placed him in a fight for the vacant title against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282. However, a split draw result left the title without an owner.

Now, with another vacant title fight potentially right around the corner, Blachowicz knows he has a serious threat and a dangerous knockout artist on his hands in Pereira. As one who has faced a number of former middleweights moving up a weight class, Blachowicz believes that “Poatan’s” fight-finishing power will translate across divisions.

“Great fighter, great sportsman, knockout punch power – I watched almost all of his fights in MMA,” Blachowicz said. “Now we’ve got him in 205. When I hear him say he wanted to go to 205, I told my manager to send a message to UFC, ‘I want him,’ and we have him.

“… I want to check my stand up against him and try to knock him out. But if something goes wrong in stand up, I can use my wrestling and take him down, finish him on the ground. This is what I want to do: Win the fight.”

With a win over Pereiera, Blachowicz fully expects to be up for the vacant title, and believes he will be up against a former title holder who also had to vacate due to injury.

“UFC tell me that after this fight, next fight will be for the title, so nothing changed,” Blachowicz said. “Jamahal Hill left the belt – I wish him (very well). But my next opponent will be maybe (Jiri) Prochazka, and we will fight for the title.”

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

Video: ‘UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2’ media day interviews

Before UFC 291 on Saturday, the main card and prelim fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

SALT LAKE CITY – The UFC 291, which takes place at Delta Center with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card and preliminary spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

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

UFC 291 ‘Embedded,’ No. 3: Shopping with Jan Blachowicz and Bobby Green in SLC

Jan Blachowicz and Bobby Green have very different tastes in style, as seen in the latest episode of UFC 291 “Embedded.”

The “Embedded” fight-week video series is back to document what’s happening behind the scenes at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City.

The UFC is back with its ninth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

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 early prelims on ESPN+.

The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Kevin Holland trains with an Ultimate Fighter. Jan Blachowicz and Bobby Green shop for SLC souvenirs. Alex Pereira, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje push hard. Stephen Thompson takes in Pioneer Day.

Also see:

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

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Daniel Cormier explains how Alex Pereira’s extra size could be beneficial in UFC 291 fight vs. Jan Blachowicz

Daniel Cormier believes Alex Pereira’s new weight class could help him with an important aspect of his game at UFC 291.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] believes [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s new weight class could help him with an important aspect of his game.

Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will make his light heavyweight debut against former champion [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 291 co-main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Blachowicz handed UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya his first and still only loss when he nullified his kickboxing and took him down three times en route to a unanimous decision win at UFC 259 in 2021. Cormier expects Blachowicz to employ a similar strategy against Pereira, except he thinks “Poatan” will be a lot heavier in the octagon than what Adesanya was.

“When Israel Adesanya fought against Jan Blachowicz, because we all look for common factors and common denominators, Izzy got taken down by Jan, and that’s why he lost the fight,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “Izzy weighed 197 pounds when he walked into the octagon to fight Jan Blachowicz. Pereira will be big. He will be heavy. I bet he weighs about 220 when he goes into the octagon, so you would imagine that extra size will help him with the takedown defense.”

But Cormier said Pereira will also be dealing with more size than he’s accustomed to, which could be challenging for him.

“With Jan Blachowicz, you know that he possesses knockout power, and he also possesses the ability to take you down and grind you out,” Cormier continued. “He’s so heavy from the top that he can really wear on Alex Pereira. For as much as Pereira has done in a short period of time, he’s not had to deal with a bigger, stronger grappler. Am I saying he’s not ready to do that? No.”

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