Morning Report: 'Pissed off' Jan Blachowicz slams 'slimy' Alex Pereira for 'pathetic' Israel Adesanya callout

13/11/2023 14:00

Jan Blachowicz was not pleased with Alex Pereira's post-fight callout at UFC 295.

The UFC made its annual return to Madison Square Garden in New York City this past Saturday night, and it was an eventful evening, particularly on the main card as all five fights ended by strikes in round two or sooner. To cap off the night, a highly-anticipated vacant light heavyweight title showdown between knockout artists and fan favorites Jiri Prochazka and the aforementioned Pereira unfolded for the raucous crowd.

Brazil's former UFC middleweight champion Pereira moved up in weight earlier this year after dropping his strap to longtime rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 in April. Welcoming Pereira to 205 pounds in the octagon was a fellow former champion in Poland's Blachowicz, who ultimately lost a split decision at UFC 291 in July. After dispatching of Prochazka by TKO with punches at UFC 295, Pereira joined the historic list of two-division UFC champions and proceeded to namedrop his rival Adesanya for a potential fifth overall combat sports encounter. Blachowicz was having none of it, however.

"@AlexPereiraUFC I know you're a slimy one," Blachowicz tweeted. "Calling out 'Izzy.' Great performance and all but STFU, we have unfinished business you and I. The judges won't give you handouts next time. Pathetic."

Blachowicz has a unique connection with the striking-based champions Pereira and Adesanya, having held off Adesanya by a unanimous decision in the former champion's light heavyweight title bid in March 2021. The win for Blachowicz was his only defense as champion before losing the title to Pereira's coach and mentor Glover Teixeira later that year.

Generally one of the more soft-spoken contenders in the weight class, Blachowicz later admitted to his outburst being out of character. Blachowicz, 40, hasn't fought since his Pereira defeat but just booked a rematch with a returning Aleksandar Rakic for UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Rakic saw his strong winning streak come to an end against Blachowicz in May 2022 when he suffered a torn ACL mid-fight, resulting in a TKO win for the former title holder.

The champion before Pereira, Jamahal Hill, is expected to be first for Pereira's light heavyweight title defense after fully healing from a ruptured achilles tendon. Either way, Blachowicz has his sights firmly set on "Poatan" after potentially getting through Rakic for a second time. Meanwhile, Adesanya is taking some time away from competition after suffering a unanimous decision title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September.

"I see I need to clarify," Blachowicz said. "People see me that I'm a nice guy all the time. But sometimes I get pissed off, like everyone in life. I'm still super angry that they stole my W against Pereira. Now he calls out Adesanya again. Give it a rest already. We've been there 4 times!

"This is LHW and that split decision means we have unfinished business here. I'm just saying what I feel. Don't blame me for it. Just letting you know this. This is all from me. I'm going back to the gym. Got a new opponent and a job to do."

TOP STORIES

Aftermath. UFC 295: 7 biggest takeaways from an unforgettable night in New York

Tough.Mackenzie Dernissues apology after Jessica Andrade loss at UFC 295: 'You can only lose if you fight'

Unsure.Dana Whiteslams co-promotion question for Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou: 'Why would I do that?'

Hell. Chael Sonnen, Rafael dos Anjosconcerned about David Goggins training Tony Ferguson

Rivals. Israel Adesanya trolls Alex Pereira's callout with 'Frozen' quip, Pereira responds

Buzz. 'BULL**** EARLY STOPPAGE': Fighters react to Alex Pereira's win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295

Goal.Jailton Almeida wants Ciryl Gane next, hopes for dream fight with Jon Jones some day

Trials.Jared Gordon on going from shooting heroin under MSG to winning at UFC 295

Innovation. Dana White promises 'greatest live combat sports show anybody has ever seen' for UFC at Las Vegas Sphere in 2024

Jamahal Hill reacts to Alex Pereira beating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295: 'Neither one of these dudes are on my level'

Champs.Tom Aspinall reacts to Jon Jones praise, wants 'dream fight' with Jones in Manchester

VIDEO STEW

UFC 295 Post Show.

On To the Next One.

Full fights.

Bisping's POV.

Early?

Attack?

Paddy.

MORNING MUSIC

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Nasty.

Crazy.

Unexpected.

Nice.

Statement.

Champs.

Called it.

Impressive.

Photo.

On the rise.

Jiri.

Pav.

Countdown.

The Stamp tour.

Rides.

Road map.

War.

Lol.

Yum.

Jones.

Fighting back.

Chaos.

Dancin'.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tsuyoshi Sudario (8-2) vs. Mikio Ueda (2-1); RIZIN 45, Dec. 31

Shinobu Ota (4-3) vs. Ryusei Ashizawa (0-0, 25-15-1 in KB); RIZIN 45, Dec. 31

Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (14-3); UFC 297, Jan. 20

Dominick Reyes (12-4) vs. Carlos Ulberg (10-1); UFC 297, Jan. 20

Julija Stoliarenko (11-8-2) vs. Luana Carolina (9-4); UFC Fight Night, Feb. 3

FINAL THOUGHTS

Angry Polish power is not something I expected after this past weekend.

Thanks for reading!

POLL POSITION

Last Week's Results:

Friday: 55% of 500 total votes answered "No" when asked, "Will Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira ever fight again?"

Thursday: 52% of 580 total votes answered "Tom Aspinall" when asked, "Who wins this weekend?" Aspinall defeated Serghei Pavlovich via first-round knockout (punches) at 1:09 in the UFC 295 co-main event.

Wednesday: 66% of 471 total votes answered "Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan" when asked, "Which fight makes more sense as the UFC Austin main event?"

Tuesday: 67% of 411 total votes answered "Alexander Volkanovski" when asked, "Which champion has the best chance of retaining in their upcoming title defense?"

Monday: 51% of 407 total votes answered "Alex Pereira" when asked, "Who wins this weekend?" Pereira defeated Jiri Prochazka via second-round TKO (punches) at 4:08 in the UFC 295 main event.

Today's exit poll:

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