Jan Blachowicz confident of sending Alex Pereira back down to middleweight

Jan Blachowicz is ready to make another light heavyweight title surge next time out and is confident of beating Alex Pereira and sending him back to the middleweight division. 'Poatan' decided it was time to test himself in a new weight class after suffering his first defeat in the octagon in his most recent outing.

Despite still clashing with Israel Adesanya on social media, 'Poatan's loss to the middleweight king was the final nail in the coffin of his time at 185lbs. While it's much more challenging to make happen at this stage, it wouldn't be wise to count out a trilogy bout between the long-feuding kickboxing superstars.

While discussing his upcoming matchup, Jan Blachowicz called back to his wins over Luke Rockhold and 'The Last Stylebender,' insisting the same fate awaits Alex Pereira.

"For sure he's going to have power. But what do I always say? If you change weight category, you can spar with the bigger guys in your gym but when you fight, it's completely different. Timing, speed, everything is different. Three times I've fought with guys from the lower divisions and I won each one... [After this fight do I think Pereira will go back to middleweight?] I don't know, this is something you'll have to ask him. We will see... I think this is my job [to send fighters back to their division], so I need to do it in the best way to send him back to the lower category."

This is the Pole's first octagon appearance since his underwhelming draw against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282. The 40-year-old has won six of his last seven fights inside the cage, excluding the split draw.

Check out what Blachowicz had to say about his opponent in the video below.

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What's next for the winner of Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira?

Despite the UFC announcing several huge matchups to take place later this year, Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira is the most notable non-title fight at 205lbs. But what's up next for the winner?

According to the Poland native, he was promised a shot at the title by the promotion if he managed to spoil the former middleweight's debut in his new weight class.

Although nothing has been made official, Pereira will too likely be gifted a shot at gold should he be successful at UFC 291 in July. The kickboxer has some history with champion Jamahal Hill and would undoubtedly be a fascinating challenge for the titleholder.