Alex Pereira has outside help for his heavyweight run. Sports Illustrated reported Tuesday that a UFC legend is helping prepare him for a heavyweight fight at UFC 335. The headline doesn’t say which legend. I’m not going to guess, because guessing names is how people end up holding losing tickets and blaming the sportsbook.
The pursuit is a third UFC title, and by every account Pereira wants it badly. MMA Fighting’s weekly mailbag described him as extremely focused on that third belt. It also reported that he has a fight booked with Sergei Pavlovich and is already talking about a title shot once he wins. Every fighter says that, and the mailbag treated it as standard. The bigger question it raised was what Pereira does if Pavlovich beats him. Does he keep grinding at heavyweight for the back end of his career, or does he drop back to 205?
How he got here
This run follows a loss. Pereira dropped a fight to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House and has spent the months since arguing that Gane landed illegal strikes to the back of his head. MMA Fighting’s mailbag allowed that he has a case on the fouls. It doubted fans care much, and it noted the complaints didn’t earn him a rematch or a title shot. It also mentioned that Pereira has been feuding with Daniel Cormier, and the mailbag said that feud is over nothing.
View post on X
That’s a big change for a guy who built his UFC persona on saying very little. For most of his run the whole press strategy was a few words and a long stare. The mailbag compared that stoic image to prime Fedor Emelianenko and argued the Gane fallout cost him some of it. It also called him a Hall of Famer already and said a bad stretch doesn’t change his legacy.
His past opponents are still talking too. Magomed Ankalaev said this week that their history isn’t over. Championship Rounds shared his comments on X, via Bostanov MMA: “His business with me isn’t settled at all. You could call what happened a lucky punch. That’s how he beat me.” Ankalaev also claimed Pereira’s camp knew about an injury and said he didn’t think any fighter had ever rushed at him like that before.
View post on X
Away from the cage, Pereira posted new training footage Monday, according to a clip shared on X. Over the weekend he also posted video of himself filming while driving a new Lamborghini. I’d like to see the footage of a 205-pound striker absorbing heavyweight shots in sparring a lot more than I’d like to see the car.
Sal’s take
Nobody’s quoting me a line in these reports, so I won’t invent one. Here’s how I read it. A former light heavyweight going to heavyweight while still angry about his last loss is the kind of setup bettors fall in love with for the wrong reasons. It’s a third-belt chase with a famous mystery mentor, which makes for a great story, and stories don’t come with a price attached. Pavlovich doesn’t care who’s in Pereira’s camp. If the books post Pereira as a real favorite in his first heavyweight test after a loss, I’ll look at the dog first and wait for a name on that coaching report before I trust any of it.
View post on X
