Alex Pereira believes he caught Jiri Prochazka off guard with his willingness to make a quick turnaround between high-stakes fights.
On July 29, Pereira secured a split-decision win in his UFC light heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz.
Since then, it’s seemed like only a matter of time until he was matched up against Jiri Prochzaka, the former 205-pound champion returning from a severe shoulder injury, for the vacant light heavyweight title due to Jamahal Hill leaving his throne due to a ruptured Achilles.
Earlier this week, Dana White announced that Perireira and Prochazka will face off in a must-see fight on November 11 at UFC 295. During a video posted on YouTube, ‘Poatan detailed how the matchup materialized by saying:
“Going back to when I fought Jan Blachowicz, right after that match, behind the scenes, we got to talking with my manager, the organization about the next fight, and, man, I was stoked, already knew who I was going up against. Had a rough idea of the date, so talking to my manager, they asked when I wanted to fight. I said as soon as possible, as I was good to go.”
Alex Pereira continued:
“We saw that Jiri was kinda hinting at things, always posting something saying he was ready, and, man, that got us all pumped, and we proposed a date in Abu Dhabi just a couple months after my last fight. My manager got in touch with the organization, and we waited a few days for a response. They got back to us saying Jiri wasn’t ready yet. I think we caught him off guard. Not saying this in a bad way. We’re talking about a guy that means business, everyone sees it.”
Alex Pereira calls out his doubters who became fans
Alex Pereira made his UFC debut in November 2021 with a professional MMA record of 3-1. Although he was a highly-respected kickboxer, plenty of people questioned whether or not he could succeed against the elite fighters in the UFC.
‘Poatan’ silenced the doubters by becoming the UFC middleweight champion within slightly over a year of making his first walk to the Octagon. During his recent UFC 296 fight announcement video, Pereira had this to say about fans who changed their opinions about him:
“Always grateful for all your support. It means the world to me. I feel like I’m being well-received in this sport where many doubted me like, he won’t make it, too much of a striker, can’t defend, can’t grapple, and I’ve been proving those skeptics wrong, earning their respect, and today, I see those doubters flipped and are now they are fans.”
At UFC 295, Alex Pereira has a massive opportunity to grow his legacy by earning a second world title in another different division. It’ll be easier said than done, as Jiri Prochazka has a warrior spirit that can threaten any opponent.
Watch Alex Pereira’s full fight announcement video below:
