Jan Blachowicz expresses his doubt on whether Jamahal Hill will be in his optimal form as he attempts to reclaim the light heavyweight title against Alex Pereira. Hill, who secured the championship at UFC 283 in January after defeating Glover Teixeira, had to relinquish his title in July due to a torn Achilles tendon he suffered during a pickup basketball game. Concurrently, Pereira captured the now vacant title with a second-round technical knockout win against former champion Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 earlier this month.
Upon his return to the Octagon, Hill is to be guaranteed a title shot which is likely to be against Pereira. Notwithstanding, Blachowicz presumes that Hill’s prolonged hiatus could have adverse effects, attributing to his moniker, “Sweet Dreams.” He reflects that, “We’ll see how he’s going to feel after the injury because sometimes it’s hard coming back in great shape.” He also mentions that Hill might be hindered psychologically by the knowledge of the surgery and the uncertainty about the state of his leg. Hence, Blachowicz asserts that, given the current circumstances, he would place his bets on Pereira.
Pereira’s opportunity to vie for the title arose after a controversial split decision win against Blachowicz, who is of the opinion that the verdict should have been in his favor. Now, Blachowicz is preparing for a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto. Their previous encounter in the Octagon in May 2022 resulted in Rakic losing by TKO owing to a knee injury sustained during the third round. Feeling confident, Blachowicz is looking forward to a win against Rakic and another shot at the title.
Expressing his belief in the possibility of a rematch, Blachowicz states, “If Pereira will fight against Jamahal Hill and he’s going to win, and I believe that I’m going to win against Rakic, so this rematch, they have to give it to me because our fight was split decision, and I believe the judges gave a bad decision. So, they have to give me this rematch.” Furthermore, Blachowicz also expresses his willingness to be the standby competitor for the prospective title fight between Pereira and Hill, noting, “I can be a backup fighter, no problem,” referring to the financial incentive that comes with it.