Jan Blachowicz Expects Alex Pereira to Spoil Jamahal Hill’s Return

Jan Blachowicz believes Jamahal Hill might not be in his best shape when he attempts to reclaim the light heavyweight title against Alex Pereira.

Hill , who defeated Glover Teixeira to be crowned champ at UFC 283 in January, had to vacate his strap in July after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during a pickup basketball game. Meanwhile, Pereira went on to capture the vacant title with a Round 2 technical knockout win over former champ Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 earlier this month.

Hill claims that he has been guaranteed a title shot upon his return to the Octagon, which will most likely be against Pereira. However, Blachowicz believes the long hiatus could negatively affect “Sweet Dreams.”

“We’ll see how he’s going to feel after the injury because sometimes it’s hard coming back in great shape,” Blachowicz told MiddleEasy. “You still got something in the back of your head that you have surgery and you’re coming back. You don’t know how your leg is going to feel. So, I don’t know. In this moment, I would put my money on Pereira.”

Pereira received his title shot following a closely-contested split decision win over Blachowicz, which the Pole believes should have gone his way. Blachowicz is now set for a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto. The two last met inside the Octagon in May 2022, where Rakic fell via TKO after suffering a knee injury in the third frame of the bout. Confident of another victory against Rakic, the former champ is eyeing a title shot following the bout.

“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,” Blachowicz said. “So, they have to give me this rematch.”

Blachowicz is also willing to serve as the backup for the title fight between Pereira and Hill whenever the bout materializes.

“I can be backup fighter, no problem,” he said. “You just sit over there waiting, watch the fight, and they give you some money. So, why not?”