Alex Pereira‘s hands-down style has carried him to two UFC championships, but coach Ray Longo says that same habit could cost him against heavyweight power puncher Sergei Pavlovich on December 12. The two meet in the UFC 335 co-main event, Pereira’s second fight since moving up to heavyweight.
A first heavyweight loss raises questions
Pereira (13-4) jumped to heavyweight in June 2026 at UFC Freedom 250, chasing a title in a third division after already winning belts at light heavyweight and middleweight, a feat no fighter has managed in UFC history. He lost by second-round TKO to Ciryl Gane (14-2), who went on to claim the interim title and then the undisputed belt once Tom Aspinall vacated it due to recurring eye injuries. Pereira protested shots to the back of the head late in the fight, but on the Anik & Florian Podcast, Longo said the issue went deeper than the officiating. “I love Alex. I really love him as a fighter,” Longo said, before adding: “Forget the illegal shots. They were horrible. But I saw nothing before that that lets me believe that he could beat him in a rematch. I just saw the size difference, the way he was moving.”
The King Green comparison
Longo compared Pereira’s approach to that of King Green, the veteran known for keeping his hands low and taking chances on the feet. “It’s like Bobby Green-esque,” Longo said, using Green’s former name. “He’s got the power, man. But he keeps his hands down.” According to Longo, that habit went unpunished at 185 pounds (84 kilograms) and light heavyweight, where Pereira built his reputation as a two-division champion while absorbing shots without major consequence. The equation changes at heavyweight, where opponents can weigh up to 250 pounds (113 kilograms) and hit considerably harder. “When you get with these bigger guys now, can he take the power coming back is the problem,” Longo said, before summing up the jump in simple terms: “At 185, big difference. 250? I don’t know, man.”
Pavlovich arrives on a three-fight streak
Pavlovich (21-3) enters the fight riding three straight wins and carrying a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the heavyweight division, capable of ending a fight in seconds against anyone he faces. That profile makes him a demanding litmus test for a fighter coming off a loss. “I think that’s going to be a tough fight, too,” Longo said of the matchup. “Because the way his style is, I don’t think he can afford to get hit by these guys.” Former heavyweight title challenger Alexander Volkov, who beat Pavlovich by unanimous decision back in June 2024, issued a similar warning earlier this month, calling Pavlovich “a monster in the cage” and predicting a very difficult night for Pereira, though without drawing the same Green comparison. Volkov went as far as suggesting the upcoming press conference between the two heavyweights would be entertaining in its own right, expecting Pereira to downplay the threat publicly while Pavlovich lets his power do the talking in the cage.
A third-division bid still on the table
The fight is set for five rounds at UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas. It comes a few weeks after Gane defends his title against Josh Hokit on November 14 at UFC 334, meaning Pereira’s return to the cage follows closely behind his former opponent’s next title defense.
Pereira is still aiming to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold championships in three separate weight classes, a goal Longo says he respects even as he questions how the Gane fight actually played out. The coach’s point is not that Pereira lacks power of his own, but that his chin and guard have never been tested by someone Pavlovich’s size swinging back at full force.
Whether Pereira tightens his guard against a puncher like Pavlovich, or leans on the aggressive style that made him a two-division champion, will decide whether the heavyweight experiment continues past December 12. For now, the matchup sets up as one of the most closely watched co-main events on the UFC’s late-year schedule, pitting a proven finisher in Pavlovich against a champion who has never faced a hitter of this size. The full UFC schedule through the end of the year, including both UFC 334 and UFC 335, is available for fans tracking Pereira’s next move.
