Alex Pereira is staying at heavyweight as he prepares to face Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335. The fight could have major implications for his position in the heavyweight title picture and his dream of making UFC history.
With Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit set to compete for the undisputed heavyweight title at UFC 334, Pereira will have a chance to keep his hopes of becoming the first three-division champion in UFC history alive.
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However, the Brazilian hasn’t taken kindly to being passed over for an immediate rematch against Gane. Since their controversial fight at the White House, Pereira has repeatedly called for referee Herb Dean to be fired and has become increasingly vocal about the UFC’s heavyweight division.
His comments have now caught the attention of former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, who believes Pereira has become too entitled after receiving so many opportunities from the promotion.
Henry Cejudo Claims Alex Pereira Has Benefited From Too Many UFC Opportunities
Pereira’s recent criticism hasn’t been limited to Dean. He has also questioned the UFC’s decision to headline UFC 334 with Gane vs. Hokit, arguing that Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes would be a more deserving main event. He has also taken aim at Gane’s rise to the top, pointing to the controversial eye poke against Tom Aspinall and the illegal shots he believes Gane landed against him.
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The Brazilian even accused Daniel Cormier and the UFC brass of pushing Gane vs. Hokit through propaganda. Both Cormier and UFC CEO Dana White have since pushed back against his claims, describing them as untrue and driven by paranoia.
Now, Cejudo has added his voice to the debate. Speaking on a recent episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, the former Olympic gold medalist argued that Pereira has benefited from the UFC’s willingness to fast-track him into major fights since his debut in 2021.
He said, “This is something that I will say about Alex Pereira, and it’s part of him being a bit spoiled. Alex, I’m not picking on you; I’m just seeing what’s been done with you and how it’s been that you’ve skipped lines. You’ve skipped the line long enough, bro.”
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Cejudo acknowledged that Pereira had a legitimate reason to be frustrated about the illegal blows in his fight against Gane. However, he believes the Brazilian also needs to accept that he lost the fight and move forward rather than expecting another immediate title opportunity.
He explained, “You had your opportunity against Ciryl Gane, and you lost. There were illegal blows; I agree with you on that, but man, that jab from Ciryl Gane wobbled you. Ciryl Gane was just keeping on his feet, and we saw where the fight was likely going. It’s your first debut at heavyweight, man. It is what it is.”
According to Cejudo, Pereira shouldn’t expect another shot at the heavyweight championship without putting together a few wins in the division first. He believes there are plenty of contenders who deserve their chance, especially after Pereira received an opportunity to fight for the interim title at the White House.
He said, “To be upset, after not having a fight at heavyweight and then getting a shot to fight for the interim title at the White House? Bro, there’s no complaining here. I feel like he needs to win at least two or three more to fight for the title. I think there’s a lot of people in line.”
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Cejudo also compared Pereira’s rise to that of former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. While Usman spent years working his way through the rankings, Cejudo believes Pereira’s path to becoming a two-division champion was considerably faster because the UFC recognized his star power and knockout ability.
He said, “Alex, the reality is, you have to know and see where people are coming from. I don’t see it as ‘Oh my god, Alex is making history, oh my god he’s become champion in two and a half years.’ No, he’s been given the opportunity by the UFC.”
Cejudo concluded, “He didn’t go the Kamaru Usman route where he fought everyone in the top ten before he fought the number one contenders. That takes years. They liked his fighting style. They liked his vicious knockouts. ‘Here you go, bro, this is what we need, this is what the casuals want, this is what you get.'”
Has the UFC Given Alex Pereira Too Many Shortcuts to Championship Glory?
There is truth behind Cejudo’s argument. Pereira made his UFC debut in 2021, knocking out Andreas Michailidis with a flying knee. He followed that up with a decision win over Bruno Silva and a knockout victory against Sean Strickland, earning a middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya in November 2022.
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Pereira defeated Adesanya to win the middleweight championship but lost it in their rematch just six months later. His quick rise was helped by his celebrated kickboxing rivalry with Adesanya, which had already made him a recognizable name before his UFC title run.
He then moved up to light heavyweight and received a title opportunity after just one fight in the division, a split-decision win over Jan Blachowicz. Pereira went on to beat Jiri Prochazka for the vacant title at UFC 295 before defending it three times in just 175 days against Prochazka, Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr.
His reign eventually ended with a loss to Magomed Ankalaev, but Pereira secured an immediate rematch and won back the championship. He then moved up to heavyweight and was given the opportunity to fight Gane for the interim title at the White House, with that belt subsequently becoming the undisputed championship.
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Pereira’s career certainly hasn’t followed the traditional route of working through a long list of ranked contenders before getting a title shot. However, his spectacular knockouts, kickboxing pedigree, and marketability have made him one of the UFC’s biggest stars. In a promotion where popularity can influence matchmaking, that appeal has clearly worked in his favor.
Still, Cejudo believes Pereira needs to earn his next opportunity the hard way. His upcoming clash with Pavlovich at UFC 335 could be the perfect chance to do just that. A win would strengthen his case for another heavyweight title shot, while a loss could leave him facing a much longer road back to championship contention.
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