Alex Pereira Commits to Heavyweight, Faces Pavlovich at UFC 335
Pereira says he is staying at heavyweight for good and draws Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main in Las Vegas.
Alex Pereira has committed to fighting at heavyweight permanently and will face Sergei Pavlovich in the five-round co-main event of UFC 335 on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
"Heavyweight for sure," Pereira said when asked about his plans, per MMA Sucka. The 39-year-old former two-division champion weighed 251 pounds for his last fight and would have needed to cut roughly 45 pounds to return to light heavyweight. That door appears closed.
Pereira lost to heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane by second-round TKO at UFC Freedom 250 in June while chasing an interim title. It was the first knockout loss of his UFC career. Gane was later promoted to undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt, meaning Pereira must earn another title shot the hard way.
Pavlovich is on a three-fight winning streak and brings legitimate one-punch knockout power. His most recent win was a 39-second knockout of Tallison Teixeira in May. The Russian is ranked in the top five at heavyweight and represents a serious test for Pereira's chin after the Gane stoppage.
Pereira vacated both his middleweight and light heavyweight titles earlier this year to pursue history as a three-division champion. The Pavlovich fight is effectively a title eliminator, and a win would put Pereira right back in the conversation for a rematch with Gane.
Pereira staying at heavyweight is the right call, even after the Gane loss. Cutting 45 pounds to get back to 205 would be brutal on a 39-year-old body, and he looked like a natural heavyweight at 251. The division is more exciting with him in it.
But Pavlovich is no tune-up. This guy has dynamite in both hands and has finished fights before the crowd finds their seats. If Pereira's chin is compromised after the Gane TKO, Pavlovich is exactly the wrong guy to test that theory against.
I think Pereira wins this. His striking is more technical than anything Pavlovich has faced, and if he can survive the first-round blitz, his counterpunching should take over. But I would not be shocked by a Pavlovich knockout. Not even a little. This is a genuine coin flip with bad intentions on both sides.
KEEP TALKING FIGHTS.
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