Everyone was very excited when Alex Pereira moved up to heavyweight to challenge for a third title at UFC Freedom 250. After his controversial loss to Ciryl Gane, though, the enormity of that task become much more apparent.
Gane cracked Pereira badly early in their fight, setting up the fight finishing sequence where “Poatan” insists he was put out by illegal blows to the back of the head. But there’s no doubt on one point: heavyweights hit harder, and Pereira may not be able to take those punches.
Now Pereira is set to return at UFC 335 on December 12th in a five round co-main against heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich. The Russian doesn’t usually get his due from fans, but you can tell “Poatan” stans are feeling a bit nervous about this one. That’s not the case with Pereira’s longtime head coach Glover Teixeira, though.
In a statement to Sherdog, Teixeira explained how this fight with Pavlovich will be easier than the Gane disaster.
“Every heavyweight fight is dangerous, and this one definitely isn’t going to the fifth round,” Teixeira said. “It’s a better matchup for ‘Poatan’ compared to Ciryl Gane’s style. Gane moves around more, while Pavlovich tends to stay more planted. To win, ‘Poatan’ needs to fight the right fight, maintain his distance, and be faster.”
Teixeira is right to note that Gane is a faster, more movement based fighter than Pavlovich, whose footwork isn’t about to generate any technique videos on YouTube. There’s still the concern about Pereira not being able to absorb heavyweight power. Asked if the former middleweight and light heavyweight champ had plans in his old divisions, Teixeira signaled no.
“Poatan’s goal is still to win a third title, and that’s what he is focused on right now,” he said.
