Alex Pereira planned to call out Sergei Pavlovich after beating Ciryl Gane, coach says

Plinio Cruz said the idea came after Pavlovich stopped Pereira's teammate Tallison Teixeira in 39 seconds in May. The pair now meet at UFC 335 on 12 December.

Alex Pereira intended to beat Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 and use his post-fight interview to call out Sergei Pavlovich, according to his coach and translator Plinio Cruz.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Cruz said the plan took shape during Pereira's camp for Gane, when teammate Tallison Teixeira was training alongside him. Pavlovich stopped Teixeira in 39 seconds in May.

"So back then, the guys are going, 'He's tough, he's a machine' and this and that. Alex, his mind was like, 'Bro, I'm gonna beat Ciryl Gane and right there on the microphone, I'm gonna call out Pavlovich because I think it's a good fight'. He likes the challenge," Cruz said.

Pereira lost to Gane at the White House, so the callout never came. He gets Pavlovich anyway: the two heavyweights meet over five rounds in the co-main event of UFC 335 in Las Vegas on 12 December, with the main card in the early hours of Sunday 13 December in the UK and Ireland (fight details).

Pereira said in the same interview that he expects his technique to make the difference against Pavlovich. "I think I'm technically better," he said. "He is strong. Yes, for sure he is very strong. He is aggressive. But, you see that he has cardio, but he fights at a very low pace in the fight. So, I don't know how it's going to be if I get him to move a lot."

Pereira has also said Josh Hokit would have been an easier fight than Pavlovich, and that he will walk away rather than become a stepping stone if the losses start to mount.

READ NEXTAlex Pereira hints heavyweight stay not guaranteed if Pavlovich fight goes wrongRead the next story →

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