UFC 293 plans shift: Ariel Helwani unveils initial Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira matchup

Alex Pereira secured victory in his light heavyweight debut at UFC 291 with a split decision win over Jan Blachowicz, positioning himself as a strong contender for the vacant title opportunity.

After the event, the speculation among fans is that Pereira might be squaring off against former 205-pound champion Jiri Prochazka in the next bout. To provide context, Jamahal Hill had to relinquish his title due to an unfortunate Achilles tendon injury, prematurely ending his championship reign. It's noteworthy that Hill's championship opportunity arose due to Prochazka's own health setbacks.

With Prochazka now back in fighting form, reports have emerged that he will face 'Poatan' for the title. While details such as the fight's location and date remain unconfirmed.

However, combat sports reporter Ariel Helwani claimed that the UFC was in the process of arranging a match between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira for UFC 293, scheduled for September 10 in Sydney, Australia.

During a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani stated:

"They finally secured the main event. First, they [UFC] wanted to do Israel vs. Dricus, but Dricus was hurt. Then Izzy and his team said let's do Sean. UFC didn't wanted to do Sean, didn't feel like a worthy enough main event. They tried to go after Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, too soon. They threw out some other options, too soon."

Check out Helwani's comments below:

UFC president Dana White recently revealed that Israel Adesanya is set to defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland in the headline bout of UFC 293. The event is scheduled to take place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Check out White's announcement below:

---

Alex Pereira talks about a middleweight trilogy with Israel Adesanya

Having made a triumphant entrance into the light heavyweight division with a win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291, Alex Pereira seems destined for a clash with Jiri Prochazka for the vacant 205-pound championship.

Nonetheless, it's evident that 'Poatan' hasn't let go of the idea of a third showdown with his former foe, Israel Adesanya.

Speaking at the post-fight press conference for UFC 291, Pereira stated:

"Before my last fight happened, when I made weight, I told the guys that for now I would be taking a break from [middleweight]. It's getting harder [to make weight], too many cuts in a short span of time. So, I went up to light heavyweight now, I want to do one more fight at light heavyweight, take some time from all those [weight] cuts and then I want to fight [Adesanya] at middleweight. We are 1-1 at middleweight... there's nothing more fair than making the trilogy at middleweight."

Check out Pereira's comments below (translated from Portuguese):