UFC 335 got a big addition this weekend, and it’s breaking news Alex Pereira would fight Sergey Pavlovich. It is scheduled to take place on December 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. The event is headlined by a BMF title fight between Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes.
Pereira will return to heavyweight in December, despite former champion and current UFC commentator Daniel Cormier recommending Poatan. drop back to 205 lbs. And DC isn’t the only former champion/UFC talking head who thinks this is a bad move for Pereira.
Michael Bisping took to his YouTube channel to express his concerns about the matchup. However, Bisping’s main concern wasn’t the weight class, but the opponent.
“I’m a fan of Alex Pereira, but I’m telling the truth,” Bisping said. “People think I’m a hater. I’m not a hater. Now he’s fighting Sergey Pavlovich at UFC 325. And the question is, could this be the end of Alex Pereira? I’m not saying it is. And there’s a world where he even wins that fight.”
Bisping went on to say that if Pereira beats Pavlovic, he would be in prime position to take on the winner of Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit for the belt at MSG in November.
The “Count” then said it was “as big as”.
“Pereira’s style is kind of flat-footed,” he said. “Yeah, he’s got ridiculous power and he’s been giving us some great left hooks … every throw he’s thrown has ridiculous power, but he’s not nice and light on his feet. He’s not nimble. He’s not on his toes. He’s not too quick. He goes forward, he hits well and lands all the punches. And good when you’re a middleweight and you’re outclassing your opposition, and mostly the same at heavyweight … it’s not as effective.
Bisping argued that heavyweight opponents could absorb Perieira’s power more than the Brazilian’s previous opponents could. Bisping also said heavyweight opponents like Pavovlich are naturally very big and haven’t had to bulk up like Pereira.
Bisping then echoed what his fellow fighter-turned-broadcaster Cormier said about Pereira possibly retiring if he gets KOed again. Bisping said he could see it happening and also thought there was a real possibility that Pavlovic would deliver that career-ending KO.
“Sergei Pavlovich (has) twenty-one wins (and) sixteen by knockout. Now, admittedly, he lost a couple. He lost by decision to Alexander Volkov, and he also lost to Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight belt. But before that, the guy had knocked everyone out.”
Bisping also added his voice to the chorus of people wanting Pereira to drop down to what he considers the “sweet spot” of 205 pounds. And Bisping also warned that a loss to Pavlovich would put him far out of the heavyweight title picture. That made Bisping wonder out loud if there was enough money to keep Pereira.
“He gets paid handsomely, right? Very, very handsomely. I don’t know the number, but it’s definitely more than $5 million per fight.”
Pereira is likely one of the highest paid fighters in the promotion. I say likely because, unlike any other top sport on the planet, athlete salaries here are closely guarded secrets. The main reason he is likely to be paid so well (or “handsomely”) is because he has been so active.
Pereira didn’t join the UFC until 2021, but in five years he’s built a Hall of Fame career that includes winning the middleweight and light heavyweight titles (twice). His three title defenses in 2024 represent a level of activity that puts most other champions to shame. Pereira has also been able to leverage his star power for big paydays, like this summer at the White House.
However, Pereira’s star power and earning potential has been boosted by how often he wins. At 39 and coming off the worst shot of his careerPereira may see all that hype (and desire to see him perform) diminish if he takes another tough loss this year. If that happens, it will be interesting to see if those $5 million paydays are still on the table.
