Alex Pereira confirms he will leave heavyweight with a loss at UFC 335 following frustrations

Alex Pereira has announced that he will abandon his heavyweight run if he is defeated by Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the former light heavyweight champion stated he refuses to stay in the division just to match the strength of naturally larger fighters if he is not successful. Pereira aims to avoid becoming a stepping stone following his previous stoppage loss to Ciryl Gane.

Pereira also expressed frustration regarding his matchmaking, claiming the UFC had previously mentioned potential fights against Ciryl Gane or Josh Hokit before finalizing the Pavlovich matchup. To improve his performance after gaining excessive mass for his heavyweight debut, Pereira revealed plans to enter his upcoming December bout approximately 10 pounds lighter.