Jan Blachowicz calls out Alex Pereira after UFC 303: “I’ve never lost a rematch!”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz wants to be the one to put a stop to Alex Pereira’s title reign.
Pereira defeated Jiří Procházka by head kick knockout in their short-notice UFC 303 headliner on Saturday in Las Vegas. Seven months after their first fight, Pereira and Procházka were called upon to save UFC 303 after Conor McGregor’s withdrawal due to injury.
Pereira’s latest victory was his second successful UFC light heavyweight title defense. The win also moved him up to No. 2 in the UFC’s latest pound-for-pound rankings.
Blachowicz gave Pereira the toughest test of his UFC light heavyweight tenure at UFC 291. Pereira won by split decision in a hard-fought, three-round battle.
Blachowicz hasn’t fought since the loss to Pereira, and Pereira has captured the division’s crown in that timeframe. The former titleholder thinks a rematch with Pereira makes a lot of sense, and he’s promising to start a second reign atop the division.
Jan Blachowicz targets Alex Pereira for LHW rematch
In a recent tweet, Blachowicz alluded to running it back with Pereira after UFC 303.
https://twitter.com/JanBlachowicz/status/1808223513221763243
“I’ve never lost a rematch. And I won’t,” Blachowicz tweeted.
As of this writing, Pereira hasn’t responded to Blachowicz’s tweet.
Pereira is likely to face the surging Magomed Ankalaev for his next UFC light heavyweight title defense, although nothing has been formally announced by the promotion. Ankalaev defeated Johnny Walker earlier this year and fought to a draw against Blachowicz for the then-vacant belt at UFC 282.
A timeframe for Blachowicz’s return is uncertain as of this writing. He’s dealt with some health issues during his hiatus which have delayed his UFC comeback.
Blachowicz defeated Dominick Reyes for the then-vacant belt at UFC 253, before defending the title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 259. He lost to Pereira’s mentor, Glover Teixeira, for the belt at UFC 267.
Blachowicz could potentially get a second chance at Pereira soon. But for now, the Polish brawler will likely have to earn at least one win to get back into the title mix.
