Jan Blachowicz has some ways he might beat Alex Pereira at UFC 291, however till they’re within the cage collectively, he plans on protecting the previous middleweight champion guessing.
With Pereira getting ready to compete at 205 kilos in MMA for the primary time, Blachowicz mentioned he requested for this matchup with the settlement that the UFC would give him a title shot with a victory. By that normal alone, Blachowicz could journey the trail of least resistance and use his wrestling to make sure he’s victorious over the Brazilian — however then once more Blachowicz isn’t afraid to check himself in opposition to Pereira, regardless of the place the battle goes.
“I’m going to be prepared for the whole lot that he’s received for me,” Blachowicz instructed MMA Combating. “I don’t neglect in regards to the wrestling and the bottom sport, as a result of possibly I’m going to have to make use of it, however you by no means know.
“I wish to examine my standup in opposition to his as a result of he’s among the best of the world. I’m curious how my standup will look in opposition to him. I imagine I can knock him out.”
Throughout his personal run to the UFC gentle heavyweight title, Blachowicz developed a devastating putting model that he usually touts as “legendary Polish energy,” which led to knockouts of Luke Rockhold, Corey Anderson, and Dominick Reyes en path to changing into champion. Maybe that’s why he’s not afraid to get into exchanges with Pereira on the ft.
“MMA is a very completely different sport from boxing or kickboxing,” Blachowicz mentioned, “as a result of it is advisable be centered about takedowns, preventing near the cage, soiled boxing. That is what you don’t have in boxing and kickboxing. The sport is totally completely different.”
In idea, Blachowicz could possibly be enjoying with fireplace by buying and selling strikes with Pereira, who earned his fame as some of the vicious knockout artists on the planet whereas competing in kickboxing as a two-division GLORY champion. His two kickboxing wins over Adesanya, which included a vicious one-punch knockout that flattened Adesanya, rocketed Pereira into UFC title rivalry earlier than he confronted a assassin’s row of middleweights.
With solely 9 MMA fights on his résumé and 5 within the UFC, Pereira is arguably nonetheless studying on the job forward of his gentle heavyweight debut. That truth isn’t misplaced on Blachowicz, who acknowledges with out hesitation that his expertise is vastly superior to Pereira, which is why he has loads of choices for his sport plan at UFC 291.
“He received the title shot, he was the champion, however possibly he hasn’t fought in opposition to an excellent wrestler, somebody who will take him down, management him on the bottom,” Blachowicz mentioned. “So possibly it’s time to do it. Perhaps I’ll take him down and we are going to see what he can do on the bottom. However if you wish to see what I’m going to do contained in the octagon, you’ll need to observe the battle, and I promise it’s going to be an excellent battle to observe.”
“For me it was like a marathon, for him it was a dash. He took his title shot as a result of he beat Adesanya in kickboxing twice. I feel that’s why the UFC needed to make this battle very quick. They did it, he received in a good way, however I’ve received extra expertise than him — and after the battle, I’ll inform you how good he’s in his entire sport, not simply in putting.”
Each battle is a chance to point out superiority over an opponent, and for Blachowicz, that would imply grinding Pereira into the mat along with his grappling — or possibly stunning Pereira with a punch that breaks his jaw, similar to Blachowicz did to Luke Rockhold at UFC 239.
Regardless of the case, Blachowicz is assured within the victory, and that’s all that issues to him.
“I wish to show to the world that my standup is healthier than his standup,” Blachowicz mentioned. “That I’m a greater fighter than he’s. I battle in opposition to a few guys at middleweight, so possibly I received’t ship him again to his class however present him it’s a lot completely different between the decrease division and our division.
“In fact, the victory is a very powerful factor, regardless of how, regardless of why, however after I see how the battle is [going to be] completed, [it’s with a] knockout or submission within the second spherical. I submit him or I knock him out.”
