Alex Pereira Plans Light Heavyweight Return if He Loses at UFC 335
Alex Pereira revealed that his heavyweight future hinges on his upcoming UFC 335 clash with Sergei Pavlovich, stating he will return to 205 pounds if he suffers a defeat.
· VILLAND PICK editorial
Former two-division champion Alex Pereira has made it clear that his tenure at heavyweight hinges entirely on his next appearance inside the Octagon. In an interview with Connect Cast, Pereira revealed he will drop back down to the 205-pound light heavyweight division if he loses to Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 335 on Dec. 12.
Pereira made his heavyweight debut in June, suffering a second-round knockout loss against Ciryl Gane in a fight for the interim title. Despite not securing the immediate rematch he campaigned for, "Poatan" opted to remain at heavyweight. However, he noted that another defeat would signal it is time to move back down.
"Everyone knows I’m not a big guy like these heavyweights," Pereira said. "So I’m not going to stay there taking a beating at that disadvantage. So I would go back to my division, where I was more comfortable.
I think that would be the best thing to do."
Pereira believes returning to light heavyweight would place him directly into a title fight, though he remains confident in his prospects at UFC 335. Pavlovich enters the bout riding a three-fight winning streak, highlighted by a recent 39-second knockout of Tallison Teixeira, who was training with Pereira at the time. Anticipating Pavlovich's approach, Pereira acknowledged that the Russian could look to land early power shots or turn to wrestling to wear him down, but added that he is excited and thoroughly prepared with his team.
Sources
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