Alex Pereira Wants UFC Light Heavyweight Title Shot

“I’m confident that I’ll be fighting for the belt by the end of the year”

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Alex Pereira has not been a UFC champion since April. He is ready to change that in his next fight.

Pereira, who defeated Jan Blachowicz by split decision in his light heavyweight debut at UFC 291, is already preparing to fight for the vacant title.

“It was agreed that this was going to be a title elimination fight,” says Pereira, who was speaking through a translator. “The UFC is happy with my performance, the crowd likes my fights. I’m confident that I’ll be fighting for the belt by the end of the year.”

Pereira (8-2) struggled in the opening round against Blachowicz (29-10-1). Though he never landed the knockout blow, Pereira defended himself for three rounds against a former light heavyweight champion’s wrestling and refused to allow himself to get caught up in a pure boxing fight.

“Blachowicz said he was coming to test his standup skills against me, but we knew that was not going to be the case,” says Pereira. “Within ten to twenty seconds in the first round, he went for the takedown. That cost him. He gassed himself out, and he was already tired in the second round.”

The bout took place in Salt Lake City, where the altitude has wreak havoc on fighters’ cardio. But Pereira came prepared, training at the level of the fight.

“I did not want to be unprepared, so I trained on top of the mountains,” says Pereira. “I was fully ready.”

It appeared Pereira was setting up the knockout in the final moments of the second round, but time expired.

“I knew I had better cardio, so I needed to stay patient,” says Pereira. “If I had ten more seconds in the second round, maybe I knock him out. It is what it is.”

Pereira will inevitably have a trilogy bout against Israel Adesanya, but for now, light heavyweight is a better fit for him than middleweight. Cutting to 205 pounds was much healthier for his body, and though he did not land the knockout, he believes he has the power to be the best in the world at light heavyweight.

“It was way less suffering to cut weight,” says Pereira. “Performance wise, I felt great on fight night.”

Overcoming Blachowicz represents an important step for Pereira. He now awaits a challenger for the title, looking to end the year with a new championship in his possession.

“I’m very happy with the results,” says Pereira. “Blachowicz is an experienced guy. He’s fought with the best, he’s beat the best. Beating him is a big achievement.”

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.