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Jorge Masvidal Has a Warning for Alex Pereira – And It’s About More Than Power
Jorge Masvidal has seen Sergei Pavlovich up close, and his message for Alex Pereira is simple: those heavyweight hands move faster than you might expect. With Pereira set to face the Russian at UFC 335, Masvidal believes his next opponent brings problems that go beyond knockout power.
Pereira and Pavlovich are scheduled for a five-round heavyweight co-main event on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The booking gives Pereira another route toward title contention after his first heavyweight appearance ended in a second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane in June.
Speaking on the Deep Waters podcast, the former BMF champion explained that his assessment comes from watching Pavlovich train, rather than studying a few knockout clips. Masvidal said the Russian completed two camps at American Top Team, giving him a close look at the speed behind those punches.
Jorge Masvidal Warns Alex Pereira About Sergei Pavlovich’s “Abnormal” Speed
“I’ve seen Pavlovich in person. He did two camps at American Top Team. This guy has above-average hand speed. He has middleweight speed, I promise you. He’s got abnormal speed, and we’ve all seen the power that he has.” For Pereira, that is hardly the scouting report you want before sharing a cage with a heavyweight.
Masvidal also said nobody came close to Pavlovich in the sparring sessions he watched. That remains his assessment of training-room performances, rather than proof of how December’s fight will unfold. His warning was not confined to striking. Masvidal pointed to Pereira‘s defeat against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, suggesting that the possibility of being wrestled can complicate the Brazilian’s work on the feet.
“I think Ankalaev, with the wrestling threat, gave Pereira a lot of trouble with the European style. I think Pavlovich is going to give him a lot of trouble, bro.”
Pavlovich arrives with three consecutive victories over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Tallison Teixeira. The 34-year-old has a 9-3 UFC record with seven knockouts, putting some competitive evidence behind Masvidal’s warning about his power.
Pereira, 39, has already held UFC titles at middleweight and light heavyweight. He vacated his 205-pound belt in February to pursue a third divisional championship, then challenged Gane for the interim heavyweight title at the White House event in June. After losing, he complained about strikes to the back of his head and sought a rematch. Instead, he gets Pavlovich over five rounds in December.
Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes will headline the same card in a lightweight BMF title fight, leaving Pereira’s heavyweight rebuilding job in the co-main slot.