Sidelined Former Champ Jan Blachowicz Calls for Alex Pereira Rematch

Jan Blachowicz has made his case for a rematch against Alex Pereira upon his return to action.

Pereira (10-2) earned a narrow split decision over Blachowicz (29-10) to make good on his debut in the light heavyweight division at UFC 291 in July 2023. While Blachowicz was scheduled to fight Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297 this past January, the former champ was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Meanwhile, Pereira went on to secure the 205-pound title in a clash against Jiri Prochazka and then defended his second UFC title with a brutal knockout win over Jamahal Hill in the main event at UFC 300 last month. While Blachowicz considers “Poatan” to be a better fighter than Hill, he doesn’t think the Brazilian is better than himself.

Making his case for a rematch against the reigning 205-pound king, Blachowicz is steadfast in his belief that he won their first encounter. The Polish standout also noted that while Pereira has knocked out most of his recent opponents, the Brazilian had to go the distance with him. Expecting to return to action towards the end of this year, the 41-year-old is eyeing a rematch.

“[Pereira] is better fighter than Jamahal but he is not a better fighter than me. And I believe that I deserve the rematch,” Blachowicz said in an interview with Fanatics View. “When he [fought] against me I still believe that I won the fight. [Judges] see different scores, but I believe that I won this fight against him and I believe that I deserve the rematch. You know he knocked out everybody, [but] not me. So, I believe that when I come back, I believe that I can fight against him one more time. So I think my next fight will be at the end of the year, not earlier, for sure not earlier.”

The light heavyweight title picture remains convoluted with Jiri Prochazka making a case for a title shot following a come-from-behind technical knockout win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300. On the other hand, Magomed Ankalaev, who is coming off a KO win over Johnny Walker and hasn’t lost since his UFC debut in 2018, is also rallying for a bid. Meanwhile, Pereira has expressed interest in fighting Prochazka for the title next but has also been called out for a match against heavyweight king Jon Jones.