‘Perfect’ Pereira Erases Cormier’s Epitaph

Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier, now serving as UFC color commentator and ESPN fight analyst, warned Alex Pereira fans that “Poatan” could not get hit during his UFC 291 co-main event against Jan Blachowicz, because the Polish powerhouse — who holds nine knockouts in 29 professional wins — could potentially “decapitate” the Brazilian with a clean connection.

Pereira thinks he’s full of bologna.

“Did [Blachowicz] knock out everyone he’s fought? I don’t think so,” Pereira told MMA Fighting’s Trocaçao Franca podcast. “If he was a guy who has knocked out everybody, I would say, ‘Damn.’ But no, he’s a normal fighter. A former champion, experienced and dangerous, but many people say [about me], ‘He was knocked out, he won’t come back the same.’ F***, I beat Adesanya twice in kickboxing and once in MMA, a scary knockout in kickboxing, oxygen mask and everything, and he came back and beat me.”

Pereira (7-2) is coming off a knockout loss to longtime rival Israel Adesanya in the UFC 287 main event back in April. The performance was enough to compel “Poatan” to abandon his brutal cut to middleweight in favor of the more brain-friendly light heavyweight class. In addition, the Brazilian was careful to plan his recovery in a way that was most beneficial to his combat sports career.

Not having a weak mind also helps.

“Only if you’re a guy with a weak mind and that gets inside your head, then yes, the guy touches you and you go down. But there’s no such thing, man,” Pereira continued. “[I] had good recovery. Of course, you got hit and that will affect you for a moment. Maybe if you train the next day or week and get hit, you’ll be weaker, but I think the way I did it, the recovery I had, everything I did was perfect. I think if [Blachowicz] lands a hand and I go down, it’s because I was supposed to go down, not because I got weak from the punch Adesanya landed.”

Blachowicz (29-9-1) is coming off a five-round, split draw opposite Magomed Ankalaev a UFC 282 last winter. The fight was so tedious it nearly put UFC President Dana White to sleep and cost both fighters a shot at the light heavyweight strap. The title has since been vacated and now Blachowicz and Pereira will be fighting for more than just bragging rights.

For much more on this weekend’s UFC 291 card in Salt Lake City click here.