In depth ufc play by play12/14/2023 On the feet, he is clearly a more technical striker than Blachowicz, who is no slouch in that department himself. Tom Taylor: This seems like a tough fight for Pereira. And given that Jamahal Hill won't be around for a while, the 205-pounders need all the intrigue they can get.īlachowicz will probably try to get the fight to the floor, but it says here that Pereira will land a decisive shot before he's able to do it. It'd make for a more intriguing next step. But Pereira winning would be a bigger deal. He's more familiar with the weight class and has been a champion-level operator in it. Lyle Fitzsimmons: As Haris pointed out, all logic-or at least most of it-points to Blachowicz winning. Pereira is just far too untested in that realm for me to pick him against the experienced Pole. I dread to think what Blachowicz could do with ground control against someone who is a bit of a novice in that department. However, the narrative heading into this fight has been Pereira's lack of grappling and Jan Blachowicz's ability to neutralize Israel Adesanya's striking with takedowns and grappling when they fought two years ago. Just the thought of him fighting Jiří Procházka for the vacant title is riveting. Haris Kruskic: Candidly, Alex Pereira winning would be a breath of fresh air for a lackluster light heavyweight division. Jan Blachowicz (top) grapples Israel Adesanya. "The Diamond" hurts him on the feet, then chokes him out on the mat to win the cringy BMF title that we hopefully never hear about again. While Poirier stopped Gaethje with his striking last time out, I think it'll play out differently this time. Here's where my prediction gets interesting. He'll probably have to eat some big shots to do it, but I'm betting he scores a late finish again. That makes this feel like a pick 'em fight, particularly given the finishing prowess of both men, but another Poirier win feels like the safe bet. Gaethje could even be called a completely different fighter now, having refined what was once a wild and reckless style into something much more measured and tactical. In fact, it could be even better, as both guys have clearly improved since then. Tom Taylor: Poirier and Gaethje's first fight was competitive and entertaining until it ended, and the rematch should deliver too. The tiebreaker? Poirier has beaten better foes and defeated Gaethje head-to-head. Amazingly, Gaethje is also 6-2 in that stretch with losses to the same two opponents. Poirier rallied for a fourth-round finish of a spent foe back then and has lost just twice in eight fights since, and only to the championship likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Lyle Fitzsimmons: The BMF title prompts the combat sports purists to hold their noses, but for the rank-and-file UFC crowd, it's magical.Īnd it'd be hard to consider two fighters on the current roster better suited to compete for it than Poirier and Gaethje-considering they put on a riveting 15-plus minute show five years ago in Arizona. He'll also have a chip on his shoulder after losing to Poirier in their first meeting. They're so evenly matched, but I'll give the slight edge to Gaethje just because I thought he fought a perfect fight against Rafael Fiziev last time out. Haris Kruskic: It's not often fans know they're going to witness a Fight of the Year contender before it even begins, but that's almost certainly the case here.Īs silly as a BMF title is, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje are more worthy to compete for such a thing than anyone else in the UFC.
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