New FSM Preview: UFC 295 - Procházka Vs Pereira

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New FSM Preview: UFC 295 – Procházka vs Pereira

It’s fight night at the Mecca as UFC 295 takes place this Saturday at Madison Square Garden!

UFC 293 – Adesanya vs Strickland

Saturday night, the UFC returns to New York City to put on one of the best cards of the year on the biggest stage in the world of sports. With two title fights and some of the biggest names headlining the night, UFC 295 will look to meet the expectations held for fight nights at Madison Square Garden. In the co-main event, two of the brightest prospects in the UFC will have the biggest fight of their careers as Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall face off for the interim heavyweight title. In the main event of the evening, former light heavyweight champion Jiri Procházka returns to reclaim his belt as he faces the biggest challenge in the division, Alex Pereira, for the light heavyweight title.

The light heavyweight division decides its next champion at UFC 295

It has been over three years since Jon Jones vacated the light heavyweight title after defeating Dominique Reyes at UFC 247. Since Jones’ departure, the 205-pound division has seen four champions hold the title with zero defenses recorded throughout their reigns, leaving the belt vacant three separate times. The constant turnover of champions and injuries forcing fighters to vacate their titles has made the light heavyweight division the most unstable weight class in the UFC. Despite the lack of consistency, the main event at UFC 295 may stabilize the 205-pound division.

Two of the most intimidating fighters on the UFC roster are set to face off for the 205-pound title on Saturday night. Both men have been former champions, but only one has held the belt that will be up for grabs at UFC 295.

After narrowly defeating Glover Teixeira in the final seconds of the main event at UFC 275, Jiri Procházka (29-3-1) became the new light heavyweight champion. Despite only having three fights in the UFC, Procházka proved to be a dominant fighter who could potentially stay on top of the division for years to come. That was until the Czechian suffered an injury that UFC President Dana White described as “the worst shoulder injury he had ever seen.” The injury sidelined Procházka for a year and forced him to vacate the title, which began the curse of the light heavyweight division.

After making a full recovery, Procházka is prepared to lay it all out on the line as he looks to regain his former title against newcomer and former middleweight champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira (8-2-0).

Pereira is familiar with the glitz and glam of fighting on a card at Madison Square Garden. “Poatan” made his UFC debut in 2021, fighting on the prelims at UFC 268. The Garden is also the venue where Pereira became a UFC champion for the first time after defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 281.

With only ten professional fights in MMA and only six fights in the UFC, Pereira has proven to be one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet. The Brazilian fighter became a UFC champion in just his fourth fight with the corporation while also knocking out both the former and current middleweight champions on his path toward the title. With the opportunity to claim a second-division title on the line at UFC 295, Pereira looks to continue his fast rise through the UFC and become a two-division champion in his 11th professional MMA bout.

The main event at UFC 295

If there was any hope of stability of a dominant, long-reigning champion at light heavyweight, the co-main event at MSG might stand the best.

When it was announced in July that UFC 295 would take the slot at MSG, the card instantly added excitement to an already highly anticipated event. With a headlining bout that featured Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic fighting for the heavyweight title, UFC 295 was set to be possibly one of the biggest events the UFC has ever put on at the Garden.

Madison Square Garden is where Pereira had his UFC debut and where he defeated Adesanya to become the middleweight champion.

Saturday night at the Qudos Bank Arena, UFC 293 will mark Australia’s second major UFC event in 2023. After the massive success of UFC 284, headlined by Aussie native and featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski, it only makes sense for the UFC to return to the outback with a card headlined by another UFC superstar with Australian ties.

With Saturday night’s card full of Australian fighters from the prelims to the main card, UFC 293 will be an exciting environment that will likely produce some unforgettable fights. In the main event of the evening, the middleweight champion faces his next challenger as he continues to build his case as the greatest to ever fight in his division, as Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya defends his title against 5th ranked middleweight, Sean Strickland.

UFC 293 – Adesanya vs Strickland is going to be a war