At this point, Alex Pereira can aptly resemble Thanos collecting infinity stones since he had another callout to his name. Following his UFC 303 performance, the Brazillian put the whole division on notice yet again, showing them how dangerous he can be. Naturally, the likes of Jamahal Hill and Jan Blachowicz are now eager to extinguish this fire and derail the ‘Poatan’ hype train.
Recently, Blachowicz challenged Pereira to a rematch, claiming that he has never let a second opportunity go to waste. The Polish native did face ‘Poatan’ previously at UFC 291, although the latter ended up securing the victory via split decision. Well, now that Pereira has defended his belt yet again, Blachowicz wants yet another shot at the title as he revealed in a recent tweet,
“I’ve never lost a rematch. And I won’t”
I’ve never lost a rematch. And I won’t
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) July 2, 2024
Although Blachowicz seems confident in his ability to beat Pereira, it seems highly unlikely that he will get another title shot. He has not had a good run of form of late and is currently recovering from shoulder surgery.
Meanwhile, the UFC 303 main event created such a stir that not just fans, but even sportscasters and former UFC fighters are now calling for Pereira to move up to heavyweight and challenge Jon Jones.
Stephen A. Smith backs Jones to beat Pereira when questioned by Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier recently appeared on Stephen A. Smith’s show ‘ESPN First Take,’ during which he had an interesting question. Speaking about Pereira’s future in the UFC, DC asked Smith what he thinks would happen if the Brazilian moved up to heavyweight to fight Jones.
To this, Smith insisted that Pereira would have no chance against Jones. In fact, he even predicted a KO victory for the 36-year-old, saying,
“Jon Bones Jones is the greatest ever… he will take Pereira out inside of 2 rounds. And you know what, he won’t throw a punch…I’m telling you right now, [Jones] will take him out. He can’t mess with Jon Bones Jones.”
Stephen A. Smith backs Jon Jones to beat Alex Pereira in a potential fight:
“Jon Bones Jones is the greatest ever… he will take Pereira out inside of 2 rounds. And you know what, he won’t throw a punch…
I’m telling you right now, [Jones] will take him out. He can’t mess with… pic.twitter.com/qdMu3dE9hC
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 28, 2024
Smith wasn’t just making wild statements, as he even gave his reasoning for his prediction stating that the fight would not be a striking showdown. Instead, he believes ‘Bones’ will take Pereira down and submit him using his wrestling or dish out some vicious ground and pound.