Legendary Mixed Martial Arts coach Ray Longo believes Alex Pereira isn’t well qualified for a potential heavyweight rebound performance.
Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira will return to the Octagon in December against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335. After a disastrous heavyweight debut at UFC Freedom 250, Pereira will look to earn a potential title shot against the battle-tested Pavlovich in a five-round co-headliner.
Pereira’s heavyweight return will come six months after a TKO loss to Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at the White House. He vacated the UFC light heavyweight title earlier this year to make the full-time move to the heavyweight division.
Pereira will look to add another highlight-reel performance to his resume and earn his first heavyweight win. Despite his strong stature and skill set, a legendary coach believes Pereira doesn’t have the proper frame to compete with the elite heavyweights.
Ray Longo: Alex Pereira too small to compete with elite UFC heavyweights
During a recent appearance on the Anik & Florian podcast, well-renowned coach Ray Longo shared a brutally honest evaluation of Pereira’s heavyweight future.
“I really love him as a fighter, but I think it maybe takes a little bit of an eye—forget the head, the illegal shots, they were horrible—but I saw nothing before that lets me believe that he could beat him in a rematch,” Longo said of Pereira.
“I just saw the size difference, the way he was moving. Alex, it’s Bobby Green-esque. He’s got the power, but he keeps his hands down. When you get with these bigger guys now, can he take the power coming back is the problem because you even watch his sparring; it’s not like he’s a guy that doesn’t get hit. He likes to get hit and come back.
“These guys, I think, might be too big,” Longo continued on Pereira. “They’re really, really big guys. I don’t know. We’ll see how he does with Sergei, but I think that’s going to be a tough fight, too, because the way his style is, I don’t think he can afford to get hit by these guys. At 185, big difference. 250, I don’t know.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
What is your prediction for Alex Pereira vs. Sergei Pavlovich? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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