Alex Pereira Not Ruling Out Light Heavyweight Return if Heavyweight Run Doesn't Work Out
Alex Pereira has gone candid about what he might do if he loses his next heavyweight outing.
"Poatan" is getting ready to lock horns with Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 335. The Brazilian moved up to heavyweight earlier this year after relinquishing his light heavyweight strap. On his divisional debut, he had the chance to capture the interim title and become the first fighter in the promotion to hold belts in three different weight classes.
Alas, Ciryl Gane squashed Pereira's dreams of becoming a three-division champion by knocking out the 39-year-old in the second round. After the loss, many analysts and fans suggested that Pereira must move down.
Now, "Poatan" is excited for the Pavlovich matchup, but if things don't play out well at UFC 335, he is ready to explore other options.
Alex Pereira Wanted To Call Out Sergei Pavlovich After Becoming Interim HW Champ
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Alex Pereira revealed that the original plan was to beat Ciryl Gane at the White House, grab the mic, and call out the Russian knockout artist.
âI thought about it, but I'm a very competitive guy. The original plan was to stay at heavyweight and fight all these guys. When I was training for the Gane fight, we had a guy in camp who fought Pavlovich and lost. Everybody was saying Pavlovich is a machine. I was thinking, 'I'm gonna beat Ciryl Gane, and right there on the microphone, I'm gonna call out Pavlovich because I think it's a good fight.'"
Pavlovich most recently knocked out Pereira's fellow Brazilian, Tallison Teixeira. However, Pereira remains willing to face the 34-year-old and is not intimidated by Pavlovich's knockout power.
Alex Pereira Might Move Back Down To Light-Heavyweight
The former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion and former middleweight titleholder might move back down to 205 pounds if things don't go as planned for him against fellow heavyweight contenders.
A loss to Pavlovich could compel Pereira to reconsider his heavyweight run. However, a win could put "Poatan" back in the title picture. He added:
"The plan is to stay at heavyweight, but you never know. I'm fighting Pavlovich. I want to win. I want to fight Gane again. Things can go good, things can go bad. If it doesn't work, I'm not gonna be the guy trying to go too much with these heavyweights if I have a different option. The UFC offered Pavlovich, but I already had that fight in mind. It wasn't surprising when they offered it. Ok, let's go.â
Check out Alex Pereira's comments below:
