Breaking – Alex Pereira books UFC 291 light heavyweight debut in fight against Jan Blachowicz in July

Former undisputed Octagon champions, Alex Pereira, and Jan Blachowicz are set to meet on July 29. in the co-main event of UFC 291 in Salt Lake City, Utah – with the Brazilian finally booked to make his awaited leap to light heavyweight waters.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion, will make his light heavyweight division debut as per UFC president Dana White, taking on former division champion, Blachowicz over the course of three rounds in the promotion’s July return to Utah.

Atop that pay-per-view event, a symbolic BMF championship fight between former interim lightweight champions, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje will take main event billing.

Poirier and Gaethje previously met back in April 2018 in the main event of UFC Fight Night Glendale, with the current #2 ranked lightweight contender, Poirier turning in a blistering fourth round standing TKO victory over the latter. 

For Alex Pereira, the former two-weight GLORY Kickboxing champion will make his debut at the 205lbs limit in his mixed martial arts career, having dropped his undisputed UFC middleweight championship to arch-foe, Israel Adesanya back in April, courtesy of a stunning second round rallying KO for the Nigerian-Kiwi.

As for Blachowicz, the Polish veteran, who also stuck gold under the KSW banner, headlined UFC 282 back in December in a makeshift headliner against Russian contender, Magomed Ankalaev – with the duo fighting to a majority decision draw in their vacant division championship offing.

Winning vacant light heavyweight gold on ‘Fight Island’ back in 2020, Blachowicz turned in a thunderous KO triumph of his own against multiple-time title challenger, Dominick Reyes. 

Alex Pereira stopped Israel Adesanya with strikes back in November of last year at UFC 281

Over the course of his Octagon tenure, Sao Paulo striking phenom, Alex Pereira has lodged victories over Andreas Michailidis, Bruno Silva, Sean Strickland, and snatched gold from Adesanya back in November of last year at Madison Square Garden with a come-from-behind fifth round standing TKO victory.