The Co-Main Event of UFC 291 is finally here. Two former champions will square off as we bring you a prediction and pick for this bout in the Light Heavyweight (205 lb) Division. Poland's former Champion Jan Blachowicz will take on former Middleweight Champion Alex Pereira. This fight could be a title eliminator with a vacant belt up for grabs. Check out our UFC odds series for our Blachowicz-Pereira prediction and pick.

Jan Blachowicz is 29-9-1 in his fighting career and has gone 12-6-1 in his career while becoming the Light Heavyweight Champion and defending the belt. His run ended with a loss to Glover Teixeira, but was redeemed with a win over Aleksandar Rakic. His last fight with Magomed Ankalaev awkwardly ended in a draw as many thought Jan won the fight with his leg kicks. He'll have his toughest challenge yet welcoming Alex Pereira to his division. Blachowicz stands 6'2″ with a 78-inch reach.

Alex Pereira is 7-2 in his MMA career and is 4-1 in the UFC with a Middleweight Championship belt already on his resume. After his loss to rival Israel Adesanya, Pereira vowed to move up in weight and challenge for another belt. Now, facing the No. 3 ranked light heavyweight, Pereira will have a shot if he can win this fight. He stands 6'4″ with a 79-inch reach.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

UFC 291 Odds: Jan Blachowicz-Alex Pereira Odds

Jan Blachowicz: -122

Alex Pereira: -104

Over (2.5) rounds: +144

Under (2.5) rounds: -186

How to Watch Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira

TV: ESPN+ Pay-Per-View

Stream: ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass

Time: 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)

*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Jan Blachowicz Will Win

Jan Blachowicz has a chance to earn a title shot here if he can figure out Alex Pereira. One can look towards Israel Adesanya's move to Light Heavyweight and assume that Pereira will have some of the same issues. Blachowicz will undoubtedly look to wrestle Pereira at some point. His effort was great in keeping Izzy down on the ground, so he should find success against Pereira's even lesser developed ground game. In the striking, Jan will have to be very patient and avoid taking too many shots from Pereira's increased power at 205.

To win this fight, Jan Blachowicz should look to open up with his leg kicks once again and show Pereira that he's not afraid of the Muay Thai striking. Pereira will have the faster hands, but Blachowicz has seen the best when it comes to strikers. Look for him to tie Pereira up on the cage and work for a single leg. From there, he can use his extremely underrated ground-and-pound to put Pereira in damaging positions. If Adesanya was able to get Pereira down easily, expect Jan to have an even easier time.

Why Alex Pereira Will Win

Alex Pereira could have easily won his rematch with Israel Adesanya and been back at middleweight. However, most experts saw this day coming as it was a mystery how Pereira could even make 185 in the first place. He'll be fighting much closer to his natural walk-around weight and he's stated several times during fight week that he feels his best ever. Having Glover Teixeira as a mentor will be huge ahead of this fight as he took the belt from Jan Blachowicz himself. It seems as though Pereira is doing all the right things ahead of his move in weight.

To win this fight, Alex Pereira only has to land one punch. While much of the talk this week will be about Blachowicz's legendary Polish power, Pereira has legendary power of his own and will be even stronger at 205. The grappling is still a massive question, but it's certain that it was a focus in his camp ahead of this one. If Pereira can stop the eventual takedown and keep this fight standing, he's clearly the better striker and should be able to put Blachowicz out.

Final Jan Blachowicz-Alex Pereira Prediction & Pick

This is the most intriguing matchup on the card as both fighters have other-worldly power. Either guy can put the other out with one punch, so this will be one of those “hold your breath the whole time” type of fights. In the striking, Pereira will have the clear advantage with the quicker foot movement and faster strikes. It'll be interesting to see which fighter initiates the leg kicks first, as Blachowicz has seen a lot of success with them as of late.

If Jan Blachowicz can land his takedowns confidently, he'll be able to win this fight similarly to how did against Adesanya. His ground control is very underrated and he's very patient when in top position. Pereira will be a much bigger body to deal with, but it's honestly nothing Blachowicz hasn't seen in the past. For this prediction, we'll go with Jan Blachowicz to hand Pereira the loss. The grappling discrepancy is too great and Blachowicz has too many ways to control this fight if he can avoid a clean combo for Poatan.

Final Jan Blachowicz-Alex Pereira Prediction & Pick: Jan Blachowicz (-122)