Alex Pereira has had a movie-like career in MMA thus far.
The newest inductee into the Glory Kickboxing Hall of Fame returned to MMA after a brief departure in 2016 after going 2-1. It’s no secret that the 36-year-old Pereira is a masterful striker, having been a former Glory champion, transitioning back to MMA from kickboxing and ultimately becoming a UFC champion in only four fights upon his arrival in the company.
Unfortunately for Pereira, his reign as the UFC middleweight king was short-lived as he dropped the strap in his first title defense against longtime two-sport rival Israel Adesanya. In kickboxing, Pereira held titles at both middleweight and light heavyweight, the latter of which he returned to following his Adesanya loss. One win later over fellow former champion Jan Blachowicz and “Poatan” is vying for vacant gold against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 this Saturday. Prochazka will seek reclamation of the title he once held when dethroning Pereira’s mentor and coach Glover Teixeira, creating a nice little story wrinkle in the thrilling stylistic matchup.
“I’m not going into this fight with mixed emotions about vengeance,” Pereira told CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri. “I don’t want to play that game. I want to go with a very positive mindset. I’m going to fight with the mindset that they haven’t even fought before. But looking into the other side of being able to bring Glover his belt back and put it back in the gym, that means a lot to me.
“Glover always helps a lot. He gave me good feedback for this fight. Honestly, regardless of having fought Jiri or not, Glover always helps a lot in many ways. He makes a big difference in the camp.”
The pairing of Pereira and Prochazka is a bonafide striker’s delight. Each is a knockout artist of the highest order who has improved defensively in the grappling department with each fight. Between the two, they have a combined 52 finishes by strikes, including Pereira’s kickboxing career.
While there are plenty of storylines tied to Pereira’s side of the fight, Prochazka will enter the octagon without having fought his Teixeira clash in June 2022. The only reason the belt is vacant in the first place is because of a bad shoulder injury the Czech Republic native suffered in December, forcing him to heal up until finally ready to return. Despite the absence, Pereira expects the same crazy violence Prochazka is accustomed to delivering.
“The thing that makes him dangerous is all the experience he has,” Pereira said. “He’s a seasoned fighter. He’s dangerous, but that helps to keep me aware and not overlook the guy. I’m actually preparing to go over there and get it done. He’s a seasoned and experienced guy. That plays a part in it.”
Critique. Jailton Almeida responds to cautious approach at UFC Sao Paulo: ‘The strategy was to control him’
Moves. Matt Brown: Jon Jones ‘the only thing’ that should bring Francis Ngannou back to MMA
Assessment. UFC Sao Paulo reaction: How do you grade Jailton Almeida’s main event win over Derrick Lewis?
Friendship. Israel Adesanya: ‘I lost my s***’ when Francis Ngannou knocked Tyson Fury down
Success. Dustin Poirier reacts to Francis Ngannou’s performance vs. Tyson Fury: ‘That’s a win for mixed martial arts’
Future. Charles Oliveira offers update on timeline for return after gruesome cut ahead of UFC 294
Upset. ‘We watch heavyweights for the KOs’: Fighters react to Jailton Almeida’s lackluster win over Derrick Lewis
Contention. Manager: Belal Muhammad fighting for welterweight title next, ‘nothing else makes sense for him’
Crazy. Video: Fighter defends against knife-wielding attacker using MMA skills
Honor. Alex Pereira becomes third person inducted into GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Fame
Extra. UFC Sao Paulo post-fight bonuses: Co-main event beats out headliner to win ‘Fight of the Night’
UFC Sao Paulo Post-Show.
UFC 295 Countdown.
Keys to claiming the UFC interim heavyweight title.
Fighter Roundtable: UFC 1
Free fights.
ONE Fight Night 16 Highlights.
ONE Friday Fights 39 Highlights.
Road to Fury-Ngannou.
Khamzat’s fight week.
Strickland goes shooting.
Spinning back kicks.
Bye, son.
Soon.
Restless night..
can’t explain the feeling of fighting for this world title in 14 days. Beyond excited to perform on this stage— Patchy Mix (@TeamMixMMA) November 3, 2023
Garage boys.
Double?
Win.
Our team has seen its share of challenges, but Vugar was in top form. In MMA, anything can happen, but he’ll bounce back stronger to reclaim what’s rightfully his. Huge respect to my opponent, Koji Takeda. It was a pleasure having you all here. Until the next time! pic.twitter.com/wyDsVBJOOP
— Tofiq Musayev (@Tofiq__Musayev) November 5, 2023
Something like that.
Celebs.
Puppy love.
Crazy.
Anderson…?
Emotions.
Andre Fili (22-10, 1 NC) vs. Lucas Almeida (14-2); UFC 296, Dec. 16
Raquel Penningtion (15-9) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (10-2-1, 1 NC); UFC 297, Jan. 20
Prochazka vs. Pereira has the potential to be pretty much anything but boring and you just love it when those matchups get made. Big hype.
Thanks for reading!
Last Week’s Results:
Friday: 66% of 462 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Will the winner of the Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall end up defending the interim UFC heavyweight title?“
Thursday: 53% of 662 total votes answered “Francis Ngannou” when asked, “Who would win?“
Wednesday: 63% of 320 total votes answered “Jailton Almeida” when asked, “Who wins this weekend?” Almeida defeated Derrick Lewis via unanimous decision in the UFC Sao Paulo main event.
Tuesday: 66% of 406 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Will we see more MMA vs. boxing crossover matchups in the immediate future after Francis Ngannou’s success against Tyson Fury?“
Monday: 78% of 532 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Will Francis Ngannou return to MMA?“
Today’s exit poll:
Poll
Who wins this weekend?
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This story originally appeared on MMA fighting
