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Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping spoke on the events of UFC 291 on their podcast, Believe You Me. The pair went in-depth on the fights, and gave their thoughts on the co-main event between Alex Pereira and Jan Blachowicz.
Anthony Smith, who is currently the #8 ranked light heavyweight, commented on the event and said:
"He (Pereira) spent 4 minutes on his back. Which, some people could have judged a 10-8. I would have given him a 10-8 for that round. I think, in my opinion, the third round, I thought he (Blachowicz) but most of the judges would have given it to Pereira, but that's mostly because of visuals. I think he (Blachowicz) outstruck Pereira. In the first few minutes he was landing more.
"I just think that the visuals don't do him much justice, although we're not supposed to judge by visuals. I think he won the first and third, and the first was a 10-8."
Check out the clip here (28:50):
Jan Blachowicz loses to Alex Pereira; unclear who he will face next
At UFC 291, Jan Blachowicz lost via split-decision to Alex Pereira. Blachowicz, who is the #4 ranked light heavyweight in the world, welcomed Pereira, who was moving up a weight class to make his debut at 205 lbs.
Common sense dictated that Blachowicz take the fight to the ground, and he attempted to do just that. Right off the bat, Jan dove in for a takedown and controlled Pereira for the majority of the first round.
He even came close to securing a finish after taking 'Poatan's' back, and sinking in a body triangle. Pereira, however, managed to hold off the Polish fighter's advances.
This took it's toll on Blachowicz's gas tank. This, coupled with the fact that the bout took place at elevation, as UFC 291 was held in Salt Lake City, which is approximately 1,300m above sea level.
As a result, an exhausted Blachowicz was beaten clearly in the second round. In the third and final round, he traded with Pereira, although the Brazilian appeared to land the more damaging strikes. Towards the very end of the round, Blachowicz secured a takedown.
Unfortunately for Jan Blachowicz, the judges gave 'Poatan' the nod. The three judges scored the contest, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 in favor of Pereira.
