"Jan vs Alex for vacant title" - Jamahal Hill's curse may become Alex Pereira's blessing, fans claim after injury reveal

The stars may have just aligned for Alex Pereira. The Brazilian is currently scheduled to face Jan Błachowicz at UFC 291 in what will be his MMA light heavyweight debut. The bout was initially regarded as a title eliminator, but that may no longer be the case.

Jamahal Hill is fresh off announcing that he'll be relinquishing the light heavyweight title after suffering an injury to his Achilles tendon that will sideline him for a long stretch of time. This has led to appeals from fans to change Pereira's clash with Błachowicz into a title fight for the vacant divisional throne.

If the UFC bends to these demands, it would lead to either Jan Błachowicz regaining his old title or Alex Pereira setting a record by becoming the fastest two-division champion in the promotion's history, doing so in just his 10th MMA fight and his fifth UFC bout.

Furthermore, in the event that 'Poatan' wins, it could lead to a blockbuster first title defense against Israel Adesanya if the latter moves up to light heavyweight in pursuit of double champion status, and if he defeats Dricus du Plessis later this year in their expected title bout.

Fans took to Twitter to express their belief that Jamahal Hill's injury could lead to the aforementioned title fight between 'Poatan' and Jan Błachowicz. One fan wrote "Jan vs Alex for vacant title?" Another commenter said called for the same with "MAKE JAN VS ALEX FOR THE BELT."

More suggestions for it to be made a title fight came in, "Pereira vs Błachowicz for the belt." Another fan commented on the likeliness of that being the case, "Jan vs Pereira for the belt seems very likely."

A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:

Fan reactions

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What happens if Alex Pereira vs. Jan Błachowicz is made a title fight?

UFC president Dana White has long upheld a tradition where fighters scheduled for title fights in a PPV are arranged according to weight classes. Title fights from the heaviest weight class always headline events, with the exception of Conor McGregor, who always headlines cards, title fight or not.

But if Alex Pereira vs. Jan Błachowicz becomes a UFC title fight, could it supplant Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaehje as the new main event? Not only is their matchup a light heavyweight clash, but a UFC title supersedes a 'BMF' one in importance. That, however, depends on whether the co-main event is made a title fight.