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Alex Pereira's former opponent, Jan Blachowicz, has not competed since their clash in July 2023 at UFC 291. It was the Brazilian's light heavyweight debut, having moved up from middleweight after losing to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287.
Pereira's clash with Blachowicz remains his toughest test at 205 pounds to date, having ended via decision, while his other four fights at light heavyweight finished via knockout.
The Polish native is still adamant that his hand should have been raised and not that of 'Poatan'. Having not competed since the split decision loss, Blachowicz hopes to "remind" fans exactly how dangerous he is when he returns at UFC London in March.
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He is scheduled to take on surging contender Carlos Ulberg, who is currently riding a seven-fight winning streak. Ahead of the fight, the former light heavyweight champion was interviewed by MMA Fighting and said:
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"I want to remind people how tough I am, because I think people forgot that I won against Alex Pereira. The [judges] helped him, in my opinion. I have a draw with [Magomed] Ankalaev. The two most dangerous fighters in our division right now. I think people just forgot about me. But I'm not surprised, because I stopped, one-and-a-half years I'm not fighting."
Catch Jan Blachowicz's comments below (8:05):
Alex Pereira admits to making it difficult for Magomed Ankalaev to secure a bout against him
Alex Pereira is expected to face No. 1-ranked light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev in his next title defense. However, the 205-pound champion has admitted to making it difficult for the Russian to secure a deal to fight him.
'Poatan' has defeated the contenders ranked two through four since becoming champion, leaving few obvious options for his next opponent outside of Ankalaev. The title contender's frustration with not having secured his crack at UFC gold has seen him accuse the Brazilian of avoiding a bout with him.
It seems those accusations have come back to bite the 32-year old, as Pereira recently said this during an interview with MMA Junkie after being asked about Ankalaev:
"Like I said before, it comes down to my choice. I want to make it harder for [Ankalaev] because of all the lies that he said about me. Let's see what's next."
Catch Alex Pereira's comments below (2:30):
