Light heavyweight titans Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka will battle it out for the title this weekend in the UFC 295 main event. Pereira’s rise has been nothing short of spectacular, and here we take a look at how the Brazilian progressed so rapidly in mixed martial arts.
From Glory to the UFC
When Pereira signed to the UFC in 2021, fans of combat sports were aware of his prowess, but few predicted so much success so early on. It wasn’t clear if the deadly kickboxing phenom’s dominance would carry over to the biggest mixed martial arts promotion on the planet.
‘Poatan’ – translating to hands of stone – amassed a kickboxing record of 33-7. In the process, he won the Glory middleweight and light heavyweight titles, becoming the first fighter in the promotion’s history to hold two belts simultaneously. Pereira’s most famous kickboxing victories came against none other than Israel Adesanya. He defeated the former UFC middleweight champion twice – once by decision and once by knockout.
Pereira made the transition to MMA and competed in Jungle Fight and LFA before signing with the UFC. Little did the world of MMA know that ‘Poatan’ would go on to make history again, this time on the biggest stage.
Road to the Top
As soon as the news broke that Pereira would be the latest addition to the UFC, there was one question on the lips of fight fans – will we see another matchup with the champion Adesanya? Adesanya had been tearing through the UFC middleweight division since 2018 and looked unstoppable.
Pereira got to work right away. In just eight months he secured three wins, one of which was a knockout against current middleweight champion Sean Strickland. The rivalry with Adesanya had been simmering, but it had now reached boiling point.
The win over Strickland was enough to earn him the title shot against his familiar foe, and in November of 2022 the two went head-to-head for the first time in MMA. Just when it looked as if Adesanya was cruising to a decision victory, Pereira found the mark and unleashed a barrage of massive shots in the fifth round that badly hurt Adesanya. The referee stopped the fight, and Pereira was the UFC middleweight champion one year after signing the deal. Not only had he wrenched the belt away from a dominant champion, but he had recorded a third victory in combat sports over ‘The Last Stylebender’.
Adesanya went on to claim his title back after knocking Pereira out in the rematch. Even so, Pereira’s achievements will go down as one of the most phenomenal rises in the sport’s history. After his move to light heavyweight, ‘Poatan’ beat former champion Jan Błachowicz, and now has the opportunity to become king in the weight class above. A story akin to his kickboxing success.
UFC 295: Alex Pereira vs Jiří Procházka
Pereira’s matchup with Procházka is another fascinating one and promises to deliver on all fronts. Both fighters are extremely accomplished strikers who can switch off the lights at a moment’s notice. Procházka is the more experienced mixed martial artist and is arguably more well-rounded, but if this fight remains on the feet, there is always a chance Pereira can hurt or even knock out his opponent.
Both men like to apply pressure, but we might not see Pereira use that game plan as much here. He may look to counter Procházka and land that signature left hook we’ve seen so many times before. Procházka is unpredictable, but Pereira will be patient and find openings with his clean striking ability. His calf kick will be an important weapon in slowing his opponent down, and if he follows up his punches with kicks to the body and head, he can cause problems for Procházka.
We could be in for an absolute treat of a title fight at UFC 295.
Can Alex Pereira become the new light heavyweight champion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
